


Welcome to the Server

by jackstanifold



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: 80 is a god among men, Body Horror, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Panic Attacks, Possession, Traumatized Tommyinnit (Video Blogging RPF), and i miss boffy and tommy hangin out, boffy commits war crimes for fun, bro theres mysterious shadow figures bro, dream gaslights children as a hobby, everyone get guns, he almost didn't get added, i added gb at the last second, im very sad lul, mama puffy strikes back, mega also gets a glock, oh no, oh no sure hope they're not evil, seriously, the author is a drista apologist/simp and you can tell, tubbo gets a glock in the future <3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 32
Words: 67,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28846887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackstanifold/pseuds/jackstanifold
Summary: "Sorry for not messaging you. I’ve decided to move here permanently. Thank you for the happy memories, I’ll miss you."Eight people go to search for their loved ones, go to help them, save them. Instead, they find the shells of their friends, their family.aka, eight people who should join the smpaka, mega is a god, finn is a bamf, boffy is sad, deo is doing his best, 80 has no idea what's going on, captain sparklez is a good dad, kristen just wants her family, and velvets says fuck.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Andrew | gamerboy80 & Grayson | Purpled (Video Blogging RPF), Antfrost/VelvetIsCake (Video Blogging RPF), Boffy & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Jordan Maron & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Phil Watson/Kristen Watson, Time Deo & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch, Zak Ahmed & F1NN5TER, Zak Ahmed & MegaPVP
Comments: 1106
Kudos: 861





	1. lore (not a real chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wanted to make a list of everything you need to know for this au!
> 
> edit: shuffled this so it was at the beginning!!!

The Hub is a GIANT safe/neutral zone, which contains a lot of different portals to other places. Nearly everyone lives there/around there, either in the apartment buildings or in tents. It's somewhere in North America, in the far far future.   
  


Admins are powerful beings capable of creating their own servers, separate from the hub. Normal people (such as Callahan or Alyssa) can be gifted admin roles, meaning they have limited power, but only on that server. Known Admin characters are: Dream, Boffy, Sam, and Mega. Some of them, such as Jeracraft, work to create servers that aren't necessarily for themselves, meaning normal people can have servers made too, but they’re very expensive and there’s a lot of paperwork involved.

Most public servers are small, only 100 people or so, but then there’s ones like Hypixel, which are sort of like Disney World. There’s a few very very allusive private servers, such as Hermitcraft, or the Dream SMP, which are very hard to get into. There's also shut down servers, which aren't supposed to be accessible. If someone where to reopen a shut down portal, they'd have to specifically make it a two-way exit, or they'd be trapped there permanently.

There's prison servers too, where a lot of the resources come from. If someone commits a bad enough crime, their sentence may carry over, so their kids have to pay off their dues. Because of that, there are several kids born into these prison servers, and forced to work off their parent's sentences. Occasionally, prisoners are selected for testing, whether stuff like new potions or portals. It's not a very humane program, but it works.

Most mobs are hostile, but some are not. Non hostile mobs share traits with others in their species. (Slimes like Charlie are all super friendly. Zombies like Cleo are incredibly brave. Guardians like Krinios are very charismatic, etc.)

Most servers have unlimited respawns, but some of them (hardcore servers) will boot you out as soon as you die. Others will permakill you, and you'd either become a ghost or just straight up die.

The code is a very special area in each server only accessible with specific permissions. It displays everything, meaning hackers who can get in are a very huge liability. Most of the time, people don't bother with hacking, but occasionally, they do, resulting in servers like Minecraft Monday to get shut down permanently.

The Championships are a once-a-year deal, and it's a huge deal to be invited to compete in them. The only one I'm making fully canon is the 13th, because I really like the teams, and also because I would die for the Teal Turkeys dynamic.

There's a few beings that aren't common, rarer mobs like Dreamons or Shapeshifters. It's rare for real Dreamons or Shapeshifters to exist, but when they do show up, it can cause problems. Quackity, for example, is part shapeshifter, and that causes serious problems sometimes, especially when the person he's talking to isn't used to it.

Right before a server crash, there's a good chance that huge glitches will appear, in an attempt to heal itself. There's also a chance of memory wipes, or whole-ass people disappearing. Serious shit like that.

There's also a possibility of non-admins accessing the code, but only in short spurts. Not usually anything huge, but it can cause issues, such as loading in entire entities that shouldn't even exist, or altering time, or being granted near-god-like powers.

On a side note: there's a huge space station called Skeld, and a lot of people travel between Skeld and the hub. Corpse and Sykkuno are some of the most famous Skelders, but there's a lot of other people who work there.

I FORGOT TO EXPLAIN: There's several languages, obviously, but pretty much everyone learns sign in elementary school. It's sort of the trade language, or used for filling in the gaps of communication. It's not exactly the same as ASL, but since that's what I know, it'll definitely be based on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i need to stop coming up with this shit, i'm basically headcanoning myself into hell.


	2. the beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> instead of actually doing any real writing, i'm going to add song recommendations that i think match the chapter vibes pretty well:
> 
> chapter 1: all of my friends by tally hall

The beginning of the end was Skeppy and Bad leaving to that goddamn server. Bad had been excited, talking happily about how he and Dream went way back, and he was so happy the man had gotten a chance to create his own world, put his admin powers to use, even if he did need Alyssa and Callahan to help with the details.

Vurb, Finn, Geo, Zelk, and Mega saw them off at the hub, Skeppy promising to visit, and Bad happily hugging them goodbye, although he too swore it wouldn’t be for good. They watched them leave, and then it was over. Finn had cracked a joke that they would never see them again, and Geo had flicked his forehead, and told him that wasn’t funny, but no one was worried. Skeppy and Bad were popular, after all, and getting invited to new servers was pretty normal for them. They’d join, live there for a month or two then they’d be back, walking through the portals at the main hub, bags in hand, smiles on their faces.

They didn’t come back. They didn’t even message.

Zelk was the first to bring it up, after three months of Bad and Skeppy being gone, his eye brows creasing in concern, in fear, as he nervously tugged his lip. Vurb’s eyes widened as he realised the shorter man was right, and he started to look at the others with a near panicked expression on his face. Finn had shaken his head, waved his arm, and assured them it was fine. Geo shrugged it off, but he checked his communicator later on, when he thought they weren’t watching. Mega wasn’t convinced, though. He knew Skeppy, they’d been working together for years, and this… this wasn’t normal. This wasn’t alright.

Skeppy and Bad had been missing for six months before Skeppy sent Vurb a message. The five friends crowding around the pug hybrid’s communicator, wide eyed in confusion. 

**Skeppy: Sorry for not messaging you. We’ve decided to move here permanently. Thank you for the happy memories, we’ll miss you.**

“Why did he message you? Why not the rest of us?” Zelk was frowning, confusion twisting his face as he ran a hand through his hair.

“He’s not… They’re not actually leaving, right?” Geo’s fingers tugged at his sweater, his little round ears twitching in anxiety.

“Is he fucking stupid? He can’t just… Ugh!” Finn’s hands flew into the air, his blue eyes narrowing at the communicator.

“...My last conversation with them was trying to explain what a blow job is to Bad…” Vurb’s eyes were wide, and his hands shook a bit as he gazed around at the rest of them.

Mega didn’t say anything. He couldn’t, of course. The only person he’d ever managed to force words out in front of was Skeppy, years ago, a simple “hey” that had made his throat swell for days after. He couldn’t say anything, but he still stared at the communicator, thinking. Finally, he snapped his fingers, waiting for everyone to look at him, before he started signing.

‘That’s not Skeppy.’

Finn scowled. “What? How is that not Skeppy? Huh?”

‘The grammar is perfect. The spelling is perfect. Why would he send it to Vurb? He and Vurb barely talk. It’s not Skeppy.’

They all looked at the comms tablet for a bit, before Geo spoke slowly. “So… who is it?”

  
  
  
  
  


Deo was a patient guy. He could wait for months for his crops to grow, wait for years for his little apple grove to reach full size. He decided he could wait for a few weeks for his friend to get bored with the new SMP.

Tommy was a flighty kid. He obsessed over one thing for a while, days or weeks, and then moved on. He did it all the time on their island, starting crops or quarries, before growing bored and running off to bother his father or brother. Deo never minded, he found it endearing. 

Besides, he knew Tommy would never forget him. They were best friends, right? And best friends wouldn’t leave each other.

But Tommy had been gone for a year and a half now, and Deo was out of patience. He shot the younger boy message after message, asking him, begging him to respond, but he never did. Finally, he started messaging everyone he could think of who Tommy may’ve talked to. After a week and a half of desperation, he finally got a response from someone. 

**Boffy: meet me @ hypixel main**

Hypixel was one of the bigger servers, often used as a meeting place for people to hang out, and talk. It was crowded, but Boffy was easy to find, dressed in a plain white hoodie and white jeans, his smiley face mask unsettling beyond reason. Deo walked up to him, opening his mouth to begin, but Boffy shook his head, grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the spawn portal. They huddled together as Deo explained everything he knew, from Tommy’s invitation to the SMP, to the absolute silence since then.

The younger boy listened silently, nodding occasionally to himself, almost like he was connecting dots in his head, although Deo had no idea what those dots could be. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and raspy, concerningly so for a fifteen year old. “Yeah, something’s definitely wrong.”

Deo scoffed. “You think?!”

“No, I mean,” He pulled out his tablet, pushing a couple buttons before shoving it in Deo’s face. “Something is really really wrong.”

There were a few messages from before Tommy went missing, jokes about girls, and games, and guns, regular teen boy stuff, but below all that, a message from two weeks ago.

**TommyInnit: Sorry for not messaging you. I’ve decided to move here permanently. Thank you for the happy memories, I’ll miss you.**

Boffy had messaged back, a few question marks and a ‘ **bro what** ’, but he never got a response.

“...That’s not Tommy. Tommy doesn’t type like that.” Deo’s head was light with fear and confusion.

Boffy just nodded, looking at the screen. “Yeah, I thought it was weird, but I didn’t actually know what was going on. Couldn’t do anything about it.”

“What the hell is going on?”

  
  
  
  
  


80 missed his little brother, not that he’d admit it. Since Purpled had run off to the new server, the house had been so much more quiet. Bedwars wasn’t as fun, either, not without the kid’s annoying voice droning in his ear over their comms. 

He missed the kid, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

He tried to message him, getting nothing in response, just a blank screen and a lot of stress. He even messaged Punz and Sam, asking them to check on Purpled, but they didn’t respond either. He was in the dark.

Then, he got a message.

**Purpled: Sorry for not messaging you. I’ve decided to move here permanently. Thank you for the happy memories, I’ll miss you.**

He stared at the screen, before scowling. “Oh, I don’t think so, young man.”

**gamerboy80: what do you mean.**

**gamerboy80: you are 17.**

**gamerboy80: you are not moving out.**

**gamerboy80: purp.**

**gamerboy80: purp respond to me.**

**gamerboy80: shit**

He never got a response. He spent hours trying to get the kid to say something, anything, he messaged Jack, Tommy, Tubbo. He even messaged Techno, one last plead to his old teammate in a desperate attempt for help. Nothing. 

He never gave up, though. He refused to give up. 

He finally went straight to the source, messaging Dream. He wasn't expecting a response, but he got one.

**gamerboy80: hey man can you check on purpled.**

**gamerboy80: he hasn't been responding.**

**Dream: oh, yeah, no prob.**

**Dream: he said his tablet broke when he first got here.**

**Dream: sorry man, tough luck :)**

And 80 immediately knew something was very very wrong.

  
  
  
  
  


Captain Sparklez hadn’t seen his kid in two years. At first, he was proud of them for going out into the worlds, joining a new SMP, doing exciting things. He and Phil had sat together, talking about their sons and what trouble they must be up to.

Tubbo didn’t message him, but that wasn’t unusual, the kid had a habit of losing his tablet. Tommy still messaged his father, and Techno, and when Techno got an invitation, he messaged Phil often, letting him know how his sons were doing. 

Eventually, those communications died down, leaving the men to worry on their own.

Then Phil had gotten an invitation too, and he decided to go, to find Wilbur and Tommy. He hugged the Captain, and kissed his wife goodbye, and then he was gone. He told Kristen and the Captain he’d be back, he’d message as soon as he found the boys, drag them back for the holidays. 

It’s been three months.

Neither Kristen nor the Captain have received a single message. 

One day, Pete sent Kristen a message, and she called the Captain over, told him it was important.

**VoiceoverPete: did you and phil have a fight? i assumed you were with him, but kara said you were still around after he moved.**

**Kr1szA: What?**

**VoiceoverPete: he sent me a message a couple months back saying he was moving to the dsmp permanently.**

**VoiceoverPete: ‘Ph1lzA: Sorry for not messaging you. We’ve decided to move here permanently. Thank you for the happy memories, we’ll miss you.’ <= copy-pasted.**

Kristen’s arms were crossed as the man finished reading, her eyebrows pressed together in concern, anger and confusion. “There’s literally no way he’d just… leave. Right? Not without telling us, telling me.” The Captain shook his head, speechless. Not that it would matter, she was on a rampage now, pacing the room, golden robes fluttering behind her. “No, he wouldn’t. I don’t join servers, he knows that, but… he’d get Dream to send an invite or something. He’d try and get me to join them, if he really liked it. He wouldn’t leave me. What the hell… Oh my god, Phil, what’re you doing… Do you think it’s a prank from Pete?”

The Captain was looking at the screen again, frowning a bit. “No… Pete wouldn’t joke about this.”

She sighed, sitting down on the couch. “So it’s real?”

“No, no, I don’t think so. Phil would never… something’s wrong. Something’s really really wrong.”

  
  
  
  
  


Velvet really missed Ant. He hadn’t heard from him in months. There was no way he would just vanish without a trace. There was literally no way. Something had to be wrong. 

Ironically, it took him actually getting a message from his boyfriend to do something about it.

**Antfrost: Sorry for not messaging you. I’ve decided to move here permanently. Thank you for the happy memories, I’ll miss you.**

He reread the message for the dozenth time, letting out a frustrated sigh, and set the comms tablet down. He was so goddamn tired. 

There was a beat, and then he picked the tablet back up, rereading the message again. 

**Antfrost: Sorry for not messaging you. I’ve decided to move here permanently. Thank you for the happy memories, I’ll miss you.**

He typed something in, finger hovering over the send button, but deleted it. He stared at the message, rereading it until he saw it when he closed his eyes, and then he turned off the tablet and stood. 

He left the room, reentered, turned on the tablet, turned it off. He was still scowling, his face clenched in annoyance, but it wasn’t at Ant.

He knew there was no way this was Ant. It literally couldn’t be him. He didn’t talk like this. This was way too passive aggressive. This was too carefully worded. It wasn’t Ant.

So who was it?

And what did they get out of this?

He let out another annoyed noise and threw his tablet onto the couch, watching it bounce off. “Fuck.” 

Suddenly, a notification dinged in the silence. Letting out a huff, he bent over to pick the comms tablet back up, and stabbing at the message notification with a finger.

**Spifey: Hey, have you heard from Bad or Skeppy?**

He paused, rereading the message, frowning a bit in confusion.

**VelvetIsCake: no. are they ok?**

**Spifey: Yeah, probably. Got a weird message from Skeppy, it’s probably nothing to worry about.**

Velvet paused, rereading Geo’s message, trying to decide what to say, trying to decide whether this would be a bad idea, before realizing he had no choice. If he wanted to find Ant, he had to work with these dumbasses.

**VelvetIsCake: Sorry for not messaging you. I’ve decided to move here permanently. Thank you for the happy memories, I’ll miss you.**

**VelvetIsCake: something like that?**

**Spifey: Yeah, actually. How’d you know?**

**VelvetIsCake: got the same mssg from ant**

**VelvetIsCake: werent they in the same server?**

**Spifey: Fuck.**

  
  
  
  
  


That night, eight people got the same message.

**Server: You need to come, quick. Dream SMP portal, thirty minutes.**

Their reactions varied-

**MegaPVP: What the fuck.**

**F1NN5TER: whore you. wher are my frineds.**

**Boffy: is this spam.**

**TimeDeo: Does this have to do with Tommy?**

**gamerboy80: you fucking woke me up.**

**CaptainSparklez: what did you do to tubbo???**

**Kr1szA: If you hurt my husband or sons, I’m going to kill you.**

**VelvetIsCake: ok, but you better bring armor, bitch, cause i can and will fuck you the hell up.**

-but the outcome was the same. 

They met that night, gathered at the base of the portal, and there, they learned of the Dream SMP. The real Dream SMP.


	3. you're a stranger to me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> song rec: saint bernard by lincoln

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please ignore how ooc 80 was in the last chapter, i rewatched some of his videos and holy shit, i did a bad job.
> 
> also, the captain is a good dad, fuck you.

Ruby didn’t really care about the egg, he found. While Bad and Punz worked to protect it, to fortify it, he wandered off, strolling through the woods. It was there he found the men.

They were talking, quiet voices drowned out nearly completely by the river roaring beside them. He stood there for a bit, watching in silence. 

Only one of them were talking, he noticed, a brown haired man in a blue hoodie, with a gold rose on the front. He seemed upset, waving his arms excitedly as he spoke. The other was smaller, with fluffy dark hair and tan skin. He wore a blue tshirt over a lime green turtleneck, the collar of which was pulled up over his nose. He turned suddenly, noticing Ruby, and he realised he had a birthmark over one eye.

They stared at each other for a while, before the shorter boy started walking over, prompting his companion to follow, no longer talking.

Ruby waited for them to get closer, before speaking. “Hello.”

The taller one gaped at him, blinking in confusion. “H- Hi? Skeppy? What the fuck happened to you?”

Ruby tilted his head curiously. “Do I know you?”

The man froze, eyes wide. “Yeah? I’m Finn, your old pal? We… we used to hang out?” He wilted a bit when Ruby’s face didn’t change, his voice going quiet. “I used to dress up as a girl? To troll people? And we would say I was your girlfriend? You really don’t remember?”

Ruby remembered. No, that’s not the right word. He had no real memory of Finn, but the name did bring some things back. The smell of mine bots, the taste of overboiled carrots, the sound of someone cussing. They were strange thoughts, but not too unpleasant, he decided.

“I don’t remember you,” He said, then, remembering Bad’s lectures on being kinder to people, added a “Sorry.”

The other person was still staring at him, but now he signed, slowly, carefully. ‘Do you remember me?’

Ruby looked at him for a moment, before shrugging. “I don’t think so. What’s your name, again?”

‘M-E-G-A’

His memories responded immediately, the feeling of ice under his feet, the sound of someone typing, the sound of a quiet greeting. He couldn’t remember Mega, not really, but he couldn’t not remember him, either. But he shook his head, watching the boy sag.

“Why are you red?” Finn reached out to touch some of the vines growing off his body, and he didn’t stop him. 

“The egg. The crimson,” He said, “It took Bad’s red and gave it to me.”

Mega stared at him. ‘What do you mean?’

Ruby shrugged. He was bored again, and this conversation wasn;t interesting to him anymore. He turned to walk off, but Mega grabbed his arm, scowling at him. ‘Skeppy, what is going on.’

Ruby sighed. “I’m not Skeppy. Skeppy’s gone. I’m Ruby.”

Finn let out an annoyed noise, raising his hands. “Yeah, no shit! What’s going on?!”

Ruby looked at him, looked at both of them, before gesturing at them to follow him, and turning to enter the forest.

He didn’t hear them follow at first, but after a moment, they did. He didn’t really care, anyway. 

Did he?

  
  
  
  
  


Tommy stood at the edge of what was once L’Manburg, staring down at the crater. It had been a week and a half, but he still wasn’t used to the sight of a hole where his home should be. He wasn’t sure he ever would be, in all honesty. He let out a sigh, and bent down to pick up his pick from where he’d leaned it against a concrete block. 

Suddenly, he heard someone’s footstep on the rock behind him, and whirled, unsheathing his sword instantly, and aiming it at the person’s head. They ducked, falling back, and he quickly recovered, resting the blade at their neck.

Tommy didn’t recognize him. He were tall, and gangly, with long limbs and an orange sweater, and sunglasses that covered his eyes, like Eret. He looked young, probably 18 or 19, definitely no older than 20. He stared up at the younger boy in silent shock, mouth open a bit. Tommy frowned.

“The fuck’re you looking at? Bitch.” He didn’t move the sword, though, still keeping it at the man’s throat.

“Tommy? What happened to you?” The guy’s voice was deep, but it was shaky, a bit. He was scared? Or angry, Tommy wasn’t sure. He suddenly realized what the guy had said and frowned, pressing the sword to his neck a little harder.

“How the hell do you know my name?” He did his best to appear menacing, but he really wasn’t sure if he was doing a good job. Judging from the way the guy’s face paled, though, it wasn’t completely unsuccessful.

“He knows because he knows you,” A new voice said. “We both do.”

He looked up, and immediately felt all the blood leave his face as he backed up a step, nearly falling into the hole. The person standing before him noticed, and stepped forward, only to get a sword pointed at their face.

It wasn’t Dream. It wasn’t, he knew, but they were so so similar. The man before him wore white, not green, and their masks were different, and his hair was curlier, but he still felt every muscle beg him to run. He didn’t, though, just keeping his weapon aimed at the not-Dream. 

“What the fuck does that mean.”

Not-Dream stepped forward again, slowly, but he just helped his friend stand up, holding a hand up placatingly between them and Tommy. “We were friends, before you joined this server. Callahan said this might happen, you might not remember us, don’t… look, we’re not going to hurt you, we promise, just put down the sword, man.”

Tommy scoffed. “Fat chance.”

He was scared now, not that he’d ever let these strangers see. He had no idea what they were talking about, in all honesty. He’d never joined the server. He’d been born here, as had everyone. He wasn’t sure why these two were lying to him, but he didn’t like it.

“Tommy?” Sunglasses was talking now, his voice slow, and careful. “My name is Deo, alright?”

At the name, something in his mind flashed, laughter, and sky islands, and the smell of freshly tilled dirt. He shook that away with a snarl and a glare. 

“I don’t give a damn what your name is, I don’t know you.”

Deo wilted a bit, but Not-Dream still hadn’t moved. His face was invisible behind his mask, the smile painted on it unnerving as he gazed at Tommy. Finally, he nodded, and turned to leave. Deo stared after him.

“Boffy?”

The sound of redstone clicking, the smell of fire, cows stampeding in panic. Tommy blinked, trying to erase the images, but he shivered a bit. 

The boy, Boffy, turned to face them, still backing away. “I’d assumed you’d want to hear about your past, but I guess you’re cool with never finding out? Whatever, no skin off my back. Have a nice day or whatever.”

Tommy froze, watching him walk away. Deo hesitated, before following. He didn’t like this. He knew it was a trap. He knew the smaller guy was baiting him, but he still wanted so bad to call after them, demand answers, force them to tell them what was going on. He couldn’t, though. He couldn’t.

So they walked away.

  
  
  
  
  


Purpled was really really tired, not that he wanted to let anyone know.

He and Punz had been talking all night, menial bullshit about who knows what, and then Jack had woken him up very abruptly that morning when he slipped an ice cube under his sheets. Still, he couldn’t complain. He really shouldn’t, at least, not when Tubbo was doing so much more work on so much less sleep. Snowchestire had been coming along nicely, not that Purpled had the chance to visit.

He was mining that day, looking for diamonds, praying for emeralds. He desperately wanted something to offer the villagers in exchange for some real goddamn armor. 

On the bright side, Hanna had told him that there were emeralds in the mine by the prison, and while he really didn’t like going by there, he didn’t have much choice, in the end.

He thought the man standing at the mine entrance was Jack, at first. He genuinely thought it was, so he didn’t say anything, until he was close enough to realise that despite their similar hair color and length, this definitely wasn’t Jack.

Jack was short, and thin, pale little arms and stick-like legs, and a face that reminded Purpled of a cat, with clever eyes and a permanent smirk, and burn scars covered his body, from the lava. This stranger was tall, and muscular, with thin scars on his upper arms, from swords, or tridents, maybe. When he turned to look at the teen, his eyes were mismatched, one eye being red, the other being a sickly yellow. He wore a dark grey hoodie with a dragon on the back, and a pair of dark jeans.

Purpled hesitated for a moment, before turning to head back to town. Whatever this guy wanted, he didn’t have. He couldn’t risk getting mugged, not with all his stuff on him.

“Purpled?”

He froze, before turning back around, loosening his sword in his scabbard slightly. “What?”

The guy was looking at him closely, eyes watching his every move. “You don’t… You don’t remember me, do you?” Purpled scowled, trying to figure out this guy’s little game, but he shook his head. The man didn’t seem surprised, just nodding sullenly. “Callahan said that might be the case.”

“Who are you, then?”

“GB80. Andrew, technically, but most people call me 80.”

Purpled’s mind let lose a flood of thoughts, the feeling of falling, the smell of blood, the sound of wood breaking. He stepped back, eyes wide, tripping over his own feet, and 80 immediately reached out to grab him, but he twisted away, knife coming out to settle against the man’s throat.

“How… how do you know me?”

80’s face stayed neutral, not changing, even as he eyed the knife. “We’re brothers.”

Purpled couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so he didn’t say anything, just staring at the guy. They stood there in silence, for a long time before he lowered his knife.

80 blinked at him for a moment, before stepping back. “You believe me?”

Purpled huffed, shaking his head, “No, I don’t, but that’s such a weird thing to lie about, and I desperately want to know what is going on inside your head.”

The man laughed, suddenly. “Jesus, you really haven’t changed, have you?”

“No comment.” The guy laughed again, and Purpled felt pride well up inside him, and he had to bite his lip to keep from joining. He still didn’t trust the guy, but it was nice to feel like someone gave a damn about him.

Everything this guy did was so casual, so disconnected, and it was a bit funny. Even though he was giving Purpled some life changing information, he still smiled casually, like nothing was wrong. 

“So… brothers, you said? Is that… Really?”

80 nodded, his hand moving to rub his head. His eyes were still evenly fixed on Purpled, and the boy felt something familiar about the feeling, like he was being examined, being tested for something.

“I probably wasn’t…” 80 paused, tilting his head. “I might not have been a great big brother. I kinda encouraged violence, actually.”

Purpled frowned. “What, you gave me a baseball bat and told me to fuck up the other kids?”

“Whoa, language, man. You’re 17, not 40. No cussing like a sailor yet,” 80 chuckled, but then his face sobered as he sighed. “I signed you up for tournaments and stuff. Nothing too bad, and it’s not like you could’ve died, but… I don’t know, I figured you’d run off. Thought this was your rebellious phase, disappearing for ages, without a trace.”

“Seems a bit stereotypical. If I wanted a rebellious phase, I’d probably… I don’t know, stab someone or some shit.” 80 nodded, conceding the point. They stood there for a bit before Purpled sighed. “I still don’t believe you, but...I gotta get to work, and… If you want, you can keep telling me stories.”

80 smiled, relaxing a bit. “Yeah. Alright.”

As they headed into the mines, Purpled had to fight the feeling of nostalgia, along with the feeling he was being watched.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Phil was a little scared now. He, Techno and Ranboo had been working on Ran’s house, when Techno pointed out someone coming towards them. When he first saw the woman marching toward him in the snow, he had assumed she was new, and didn’t know where she was, and needed help. However, then she called out to him, and his stomach dropped.

“Do you… know her?” Techno whispered, frowning when the older man shook his head. 

He didn’t, really. He had never met her in his life, he was sure, but… the look on her face, like she had just come home after a long day, like her entire world had been fixed, like everything was going to be ok. He knew that expression, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should know the woman wearing it.

She stopped a few feet away, arm’s length, and looked him up and down, her face cautiously hopeful. Finally, she spoke.

“Do you remember me?”

He paused, wracking his brain desperately, but couldn’t come up with anything. “I’m… I’m sorry, no. Have we… met?”

Her face fell, and he felt so incredibly bad, but then she let out a sigh and stood up a little straighter. “Yes, we have. My name’s Kristen.”

His mind finally gave him something at that, a glimpse of hot chocolate and white roses and pumpkins. He blinked that away though, and smiled at her. “It’s wonderful to meet to meet you Kristen, I’m so sorry I don’t remember you.”

She smiled sadly, waving her hand. “Oh, it’s alright. Hello Techno, I don’t suppose you remember me either?”

Techno’s head snapped up, his eyes going wide. He adjusted his glasses and squinted at her. “Uhh… No. Sorry.”

She shrugged. “No worries. I don’t know you though. What’s your name, kiddo?”

Ranboo looked more nervous than Phil had ever seen him, but he smiled shakily. “Oh, uh. I’m Ranboo. It’s nice to meet you.”

Kristen smiled warmly at him, but she still looked a bit sad. Phil desperately wanted her to stop being sad, so he found himself picking a flower from the snow. He handed it to her, wordlessly, and she stared at him, before she started to laugh.

“Oh my God, you are still the same old Philza, aren’t you?”

He paused, glancing at the flower. “Uh, I assume so?”

She shook her head, but took the flower. Techno was watching Phil with an expression he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen on the younger man before. Ranboo was staring at Kristen, head tilted a bit, clearly thinking very hard. She was only looking at Phil though, a soft look on her face, a gentleness around her eyes that made him think that she wasn’t telling the whole story.

“Would you like to come inside? It’s not really my house, it’s Techno’s but…” Phil glanced between her and Techno, who was still staring at him.

Kristen blinked at that. “Only if Techno doesn’t mind. I don’t really have anywhere to stay right now, but I’d hate to intrude.”

“Mmmm. Nah, it’s fine.” Techno finally looked away from Phil, eyes focusing on the woman with just as much intensity. “You can stay in Tommy’s old room.”

Something in her face changed at that, but she quickly smiled and nodded a bit at him. Techno let out one of his noises and stood, shoving his glasses up his snout. He turned to the house, but paused at the last minute to address Ranboo. “Sorry kid, we’re not gonna finish your house tonight, I guess.”

“O-Oh! No problem, I’ll just stay in the kennel again tonight.”

Techno nodded, but Kristen frowned. “You’re living in the kennel? How old are you?”

Ranboo shifted awkwardly. “Oh, um. I’m… a minor, that’s really all I’m comfortable with saying…”

Kristen scowled at Techno and Phil. “You’re going to leave a kid out? In the snow?”

Phil felt inexplicably guilty, but he did his best to defend himself. “Well, he’s an enderman, so he’s less sensitive to cold, and he’s only staying around here until he can find somewhere permanent. Technically, Techno’s his landlord, and-”

“No, stop,” Kristen held up her hand, and his mouth snapped shut. “He’s a kid, Phil. Techno’s piglin, but you don’t leave him outside in the summer, do you? He’s coming inside.”

Ranboo’s eyes flickered between her, Techno, and Phil. Techno’s eyes were unfocused, gazing off into space. The voices must be speaking. All four of them stood there for a moment, before Techno’s eyes snapped to her, sharp and cold. She didn’t flinch, crossing her arms over her chest, golden robes gleaming in the sun.

“Alright. Ranboo sleeps in Edward’s boat though.”

Ranboo let out a puff of air, nodding quickly, looking so relieved that Phil almost felt bad. Kristen smiled, and waltzed past them, striding up to the house, glancing over her shoulder when they didn’t follow.

“Something wrong, boys?”

Phil shook his head, jogging to catch up, but Techno and Ranboo stayed behind, sharing a look. They’d both noticed the same thing. She wore a necklace with a very familiar heart symbol engraved on it.

Who the hell was this woman?

  
  
  
  
  
  


Tubbo was working a bit too hard. His head spun a bit with dehydration and exhaustion, but he kept going, filing away another piece of paper that meant nothing to him. He heard someone coming and sighed a bit, expecting Quackity or Jack to drop another stack of papers beside him, but instead, the footsteps just stopped.

“You know bending over like that will ruin your back.”

Tubbo’s head snapped up, craning upwards to stare at the man standing above him. He blinked for a moment, in confusion, but eventually gave up on trying to recognize him and slumped back into his chair. 

“Probably, yeah,” He picked up another piece of paper, but the guy pulled it from his hands. “Hey…”

“Sit up, you’re too young to have scoliosis.”

He sighed, sitting up a bit and wincing when his back popped. “Ok, happy? Can I have that back now?”

The guy was still staring at him, but slowly handed his file back. He was tall, with dark brown hair and sunglasses with red frames. He was completely unfamiliar, but Tubbo didn’t really think that was a surprise, he didn’t really know everyone on the server, and he’d heard there were a couple of new people, so this guy might’ve been one of them.

“Can I help you?” He opened the file. It was some sort of trade agreement between the SMP and Snowchestire. Technically, without a formal government, Snowchestire wasn’t really a country, but they were still counted, which meant someone had to deal with this bullshit.

“Maybe. Do you know who I am?”

Tubbo paused, looking at the man for a moment, before continuing slowly. “No… No, I don’t think so. I’m sorry, should I?”

The man sighed. “No, not really. I’m Jordan, Jordan Sparklez, but people call me the Captain.”

Tubbo’s head spun momentarily with the smell of pancakes, and the sound of a radio, and the feeling of strong arms wrapping around him. He blinked, and the Captain frowned at him in concern and he waved him off. “I’m fine. It’s nice to meet you, sir. I’m Tubbo.”

The Captain smiled gently, glancing around the cramped room with a look of concern on his face. “Are you… What exactly are you doing here?”

Tubbo huffed. “After Doomsday, someone’s gotta work on files, and clean shit up.”

“Language…” The man muttered and Tubbo smirked. “I’m sorry, did you say Doomsday?”

Tubbo nodded, and he looked even more concerned. “Well, I don’t think that’s the official term, Tommy called it The Final War, and I think Sapnap called it Dog Stab Day, but don’t quote me on that.”

The Captain looked like someone had just stabbed his grandma. “What… what exactly happened on Doomsday?”

Tubbo laughed, but when the man didn’t join in, he stopped, eyes going wide. “You really don’t know? Philza and Technoblade blew up the whole fucking server!”

“What? No, he wouldn’t… Wait, no, that can’t be right…” The Captain was muttering to himself, fingers tugging at his collar nervously. “Philza? You’re sure?”

Tubbo laughed humorlessly. “Yeah, pretty sure.”

“Why?”

What was wrong with this guy? If someone blows up a city, you don’t ask why. He looked so concerned, like Phil meant something to him, which made Tubbo almost want to message Quackity, or Sapnap, or Jack. He didn’t trust this guy, but he responded, slowly, carefully. 

“Techno didn’t like the government, and Phil thought his friend was more important than the whole city.”

The Captain sighed, his whole body slumping a bit. “Ah. Sounds like them…”

Tubbo was still staring at him, carefully, but he was still way too exhausted to think about it, so he just reopened the file.

It was hard to read, the font was weird and his eyes were sore, but he could make out the basics. The SMP wanted to give Snowchestire netherite in exchange for ice. He scribbled his signature at the bottom and tossed the file aside, picking up the next one. Something about… borders? Maybe? He really couldn’t tell.

“What are those?”

He looked up, almost surprised to find the man there, but he shrugged, handing the guy the file, realising too late that it might be classified. 

The Captain read the paper, frowning slightly as he went, before turning to Tubbo, lips pressed together tightly. “Tubbo, this is… very serious stuff. Why are you handling this? You’re only 17.”

Tubbo paused, squinting at him. “I don’t… I don’t have a choice. I’m in charge of Snowchestire. Maybe not officially, but I… No one else will do it.”

The Captain looked so sad, and Tubbo almost apologized. His eyes, behind the glasses, flickered between the boy and the paper. “When’s the last time you slept?”

“Uh…” Tubbo tried to think, tried to clear the cobwebs from his mind. “I think… Tuesday? I had regen potions, so I’ll be okay, I think…”

The Captain stared at him. “Tubbo, it’s Sunday.”

“Oh.”

He stared at the desk, scowling a bit, thinking. He couldn’t really remember his bed, or the taste of food. He couldn’t remember leaving this room for anything but five minute bathroom breaks in days, in all honesty. His water bottle was empty.    
  
Suddenly, he felt arms slip under him, and he squeaked. The Captain picked him up with no effort, carrying him gently, like he was made of glass. Tubbo stared in awe as they stepped outside. 

“Where do you live?” The Captain’s voice was gentle and Tubbo hummed a bit, leaning his head against the man’s shoulder.

“Uh, in that house there.” He pointed, and the Captain carried him inside, slipping his shoes off and carrying upstairs, to his bedroom. Tubbo hummed again, feeling the man put him down on the bed, and his eyes slipped shut. The last thing he heard was a very quiet “Goodnight, Toby” and the sound of the door clicking shut.

  
  
  
  
  


Ant huffed out a sigh, shoving the vines away from his front door, slapping the tendrils that moved toward his hands, scowling at them. He knew the egg was good, but by prime above, it could get annoying at times.

He slung his bag over his shoulder, stepping out into the street, and glancing around. The Badlands were empty, of course, they always were, these days. Bad and Punz were probably with the egg, or in the canyon, and Puffy was out with Niki. No one had seen Sam for days, and Ruby… well, Ruby wasn’t all there anymore.

He started to walk down the street, listening to the trees rustling in the breeze, the sound of his footsteps, his own breath. The sound of someone else, running towards him.    
  
He immediately pulled out his trident, spinning to level it at his attackers chest. The man stopped at the last second, stumbling back, raising his hands quickly in a ‘don’t shoot’ gesture. Ant narrowed his eyes when he realised the guy was still grinning, although the grin died a bit at the look he got from the man. 

“...Ant?”

He immediately tensed, raising the trident, glaring at the man, snarling a bit. “How do you know my name?”

The man’s eyes widened, but the momentary shock was quickly replaced with anger. “What the fuck are you talking about, Ant?! I’ve been looking for you for months, where have you been?”

Ant scowled. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? I’ve been right here, where I’ve always been.”

The red haired man frowned. “No, you…” Suddenly, his face went slack and he slumped. “Oh fuck, you don’t remember.”

“Don’t remember what?” His fur puffed up a bit in annoyance, but he lowered his weapon a bit. “Who the hell are you?”

“I… My name is Velvet.”

The smell of cake, someone handing him a fistful of withered flowers, a oversized hoodie. He shook himself a bit, scowling at the memories. Velvet looked at him curiously, raising an eyebrow.

“‘M cold,” He muttered, as an excuse, but Velvet didn’t seem to buy it. “Whatever, who exactly are you?”

“Like I said, I’m Velvet. I’m… an old friend. From before this server.”

Ant frowned. “Before… this server? I don’t… I’ve lived here my whole live, there was nothing ‘before’.”

Velvet huffed. “No, there was, you just can’t remember.”

“So, what, my childhood was made up?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Ant stared at him for a moment, before turning and walking away, tailing flicking through the air, claws flexing, ears down. Velvet made a noise between a groan and a sigh and jogged to catch up. 

“Ant…”

“So, you’re calling me a liar?”

“No, I’m saying you’re confused.”

“Oh, that’s so much better.”

Velvet rolled his eyes. “Ant, that’s not what I- oh my God, this cannot be our first fight.”

Ant glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He was tall, taller than Ant easily, although that wasn’t saying much. His hair was a dark red, and he wore a red sweatshirt. Little white freckles dotted his cheeks and nose like sprinkles. Ant had to admit, something about him was familiar, but as soon as he reached for memories, his mind retreated, withdrawing any information he might have about this guy.

“Ok, fine.” The cat stopped abruptly, crossing his arms to glare at the guy. “I’ll listen to whatever bullshit you have, but I can’t promise I’ll believe you.”

Velvet grinned, face lighting up like a fireworks stand at a festival. “Alright, then, Mister Frost. Is there… somewhere we could grab something to eat? I forgot to eat before joining.”

Ant hummed, nodding a bit. “Yeah, let’s go back to my place,” Velvet laughed at that, nudging the man a bit, but Ant just rolled his eyes. “Wow, very mature.”

The taller man just smirked, and looped an arm over his shoulders. Ant huffed, but didn’t shove him away.

At least he smelled good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took an embarrassingly long time to write. can you tell i like the parrellels between boffy and dream?
> 
> if anyone wants to make fanart of this, i will marry you.


	4. new faces and stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> song rec: i don't trust you anymore by left at london (it doesn't really fit, but it also kinda does...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look, i know sparklez and puffy don't actually know each other very well, but hear me out.

Mega followed Skeppy through the city, gazing around in horror. It wasn’t a bad server, seed wise, and the buildings weren’t so bad, but the amount of creeper holes and burnt buildings made him shudder. Why hadn’t they rebuilt? They had just… given up, abandoned all their hard work.

They’d lost hope.

Finn let out a sigh, beside him and he glanced over. The taller man had pulled up his hair in a ponytail, his icy blue eyes gazing around in a quiet sadness. He had grown up in one of the prison servers, Mega remembered. This desolation and sadness probably wasn’t foreign to him.

It only got worse though. Where the town square should’ve been, was a massive hole that went all the way to bedrock. Skeppy calmly walked around it, not even giving it a second glance, but the other two froze, staring at it in horror. 

“Who… who did this?” Finn’s voice was quiet for once, his eyebrows drawn together.

Skeppy paused, looking at the crater like he’d only now noticed it. “Technoblade. And Phil and Dream. But mostly Technoblade.”

Mega stared at him. Technoblade had always been one of Skeppy’s best friends, alongside him, Bad and Zelk. The concept that Techno had just… destroyed a whole city; and Skeppy barely seemed upset?

Mega didn’t like this. 

It was bad enough that there were literal vines growing out of Skeppy’s skin, and the clumps of diamonds scattered across his skin were a blood red, but he didn’t talk the same, didn’t move the same. Gone was the fervor of the man Mega once knew, gone was the emotions that shone in his eyes as he rambled about God knows what. This wasn’t Skeppy.

What had he called himself? Ruby? 

It started to rain at one point, and Ruby paused before gesturing for them to follow him into a tunnel that ran underneath a smaller crater, near where the center of the server should’ve been.

Ruby led them into the sewers, and then into a side tunnel that ran deep, deep into the ground. Mega ran his hands over the pick marks in the walls. This was hastily done, he knew that, even with his limited knowledge of mining. 

The tunnel got narrower, steeper, and Finn slipped, grabbing onto Mega desperately to keep himself from falling. Mega quickly braced himself, letting the taller man use him for balance. Ruby didn’t pause, moving easily down the tunnel, unphased by the slipperiness of the floor or walls.

Finally, they stepped out into a huge room. No, that’s not quite accurate. It could’ve once been a huge room, but now, it was filled with… 

What the hell was that?

It was red, the same red as the vines sprouting from Ruby, but it wasn’t vines. Not quite. It looked a bit like raw meat, slimy, bloody, tender. Mega almost reached out to touch one, but something made him draw back at the last second.

‘What is this?’ He signed at Ruby, whose eyes glittered in the semi-darkness like beetle shells.

“The egg,” His voice was hushed, reverent, almost. “The egg and its crimson.”

Finn shuddered a bit, scowling at Skeppy in obvious discomfort. “The what?”

“The egg.” The voice spoke with so much confidence that Mega didn’t recognize it, not until the speaker stepped out from the sea of red. 

Bad had changed. His skin was no longer a dark ebony, now it was a pasty grey. His tattooes were faded too, a pale white that reminded Mega of marble. His robes were different too, all monochrome, all colorless. The only hint of color on him was a bit of red, a single vine curling out from his neck.

He stared at Mega and Finn silently, before smiling, but it felt cold. “Hello, I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

Finn spoke, quietly, almost like he was holding a live grenade. Mega realised he hadn’t seen his friend so uptight in… well. He couldn’t remember. “Yeah, I’m Finn, this is Mega, we’re… new in the area.”

Bad’s eyebrows raised, his mouth opening in a little ‘o’. “Ah, I see. Skeppy’s giving you a tour? That’s nice of him.”

Ruby frowned at the name, but didn’t say anything. Mega noticed how he stepped closer to Bad, almost angling himself behind him. Even as horrible, twisted versions of themselves, they still cared. It was almost sweet.

Mega stepped forward then, gaining Bad’s attention. ‘What is all this? I know it’s the egg, but… what is the egg?’

Bad smiled at that, genuinely, his whole face lighting up. “Oh, I’m so glad you asked! The Egg is our home, our safety. While the world burns, the Egg provides a home. We protect it, and it protects us!”

‘And it… changes you.’

Bad shrugged. “A smile price to pay in exchange for our lives. Besides,” He looked directly at Finn for the next sentence, all cordiality leaving his voice. “The outside changing is never as important as the inside.”

Finn stepped back, and Mega stared at the demon in shock. He still remembered when Finn had said that, the first time he’d bullied Vurb into a makeover. It was some dumb inspirational poster shit, but the group had said it for ages after, bringing it up time and time again.

Mega didn’t like this.

For a moment, just a moment, he felt his hand slip into nothingness, felt his body fade a bit and he swallowed, forcing himself back together.

Bad was smiling again, face a mask of innocence. 

“What the fuck…” Finn muttered, and the demon scowled. 

“Oh, language. Come on Finnster, you don’t want to be a naughty muffin, do you?”

And Mega understood. This wasn’t Bad. This was a cheap imitation of what Bad used to be, of what they saw him as. This wasn’t Bad any more than Ruby was Skeppy. Mega’s friends were gone, replaced by puppets, shadows. Callahan had warned them, when they’d joined that things weren’t the same, that they may not be remembered, but this… this was beyond not the same. 

He started to back away, slowly, placing his sneakers gently between vines, between huge chunks of oozing flesh. Bad noticed, frowning at him teasingly.

“Oh, what’s wrong, Mega? Couldn’t stay for the party?”

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around Mega, holding him still. Finn let out a yelp, trying to unsheathe his sword, but Bad was too fast, knocking the blade out of his hands and slamming him into the wall, hard enough for his eyes to roll back and his body to collapse. Mega let out a choked shout, his throat screaming in protest as he tried to speak, but all he got for his efforts was a low chuckle in his ear.

Ruby hadn’t moved, watching them get grabbed, his face blank and unmoving, but his hands twitched a bit at Mega’s scream. He turned away, walking back to the tunnel, pulling his hood up.

Bad smiled at Mega, raising his arms as he walked closer, almost like he wanted a hug. Mega squirmed, trying to get away, but the person holding him was strong. Scarily strong.

“Oh, Punz, make sure he can breathe, he needs to be alive for the planting!”

Mega froze as the arms loosened around him, the man holding him shifting so his hand was around his neck. He got the message. If he tried to run, he was dead. 

Bad put his hands on either side of his head, smiling down at him kindly, a gentle look in his eyes. “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt for long.”

Then the vines came surging out of his hands, twisting around Mega’s head, before forcing themselves into his mouth. Within seconds, all of his sense were overwhelmed, and all he could see, taste, smell was the sickly sour vines, and their fucking thorns. 

He couldn’t breath now, but he couldn’t feel Punz’ hands either. He couldn’t feel anything, just the vines. He almost faded, but the red wrapped around his arms, tightening until he had no choice but to solidify, his body going back to its tangible form. 

The last thing he heard before he blacked out was Bad’s laughter.

Mega didn’t like this.

  
  
  
  
  


Deo and Boffy walked until they’d left town, until they found a little cave to huddle in, hiding from the sudden rain that was sprinkling down. Deo was a bit annoyed at the younger boy for just giving up, but he had bigger things to worry about.

“He’s changed.” He said, quietly, sitting with his back against the wall. He didn’t need to say who he was talking about, they both knew. 

Tommy had changed so much in the year and a half since Deo had seen him. His voice was deeper, more heavy sounding. His hair was longer, brushing his collar, and his eyes were deeper, sadder. He was more angry now too, the way his eyes were, like the world had abandoned him… It reminded Deo of Boffy.

The other boy hadn’t spoken since they left town, and now, he just built a little fire, creating a source of light as the rain fell harder and harder. His curly brown hair was damp from the rain, and his hoodie was dripping, but he didn’t make any move to dry off. He worked towards survival, not comfort. 

Not for the first time, Deo wondered what had happened to the younger boy.

They sat together in silence, listening to the sound of the rain, and the crackle of the fire. Deo closed his eyes at some point, but he didn’t sleep. He couldn’t, not with so much going on in his head. Finally, he spoke. 

“Why did you leave? Tommy wanted to ask, you know he did, why didn’t you wait?”

Boffy let out a quiet sigh, poking the fire with a stick. “He wouldn’t have asked, though. You know him, he’s a stubborn kid. If you plant a seed of a question in his head, all you have to do is wait for it to grow.”

Deo chuckled. “Didn’t take you for a poet.”

He couldn’t see Boffy’s face through the mask, but he heard the smile in his voice when he spoke. “I have my moments.”

It was quiet for a while longer before Boffy spoke up, his coarse voice nearly drowned out by the rain. “Where did he find you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Where’d he find you,” He repeated. “No one meets Tommy, not really. He finds you, when you least expect it, changes your life forever, then fucks off again.”

Deo was quiet for a beat, before he leaned forward, taking off his sunglasses to look at the other boy more carefully, his red and gold eyes swirling in the dark. “Skyblock. I was one of the best, made a name for myself. One day, I woke up, and this kid was ransacking my base. 

“He wouldn’t talk to me, at first, clearly terrified that I would call the Admin, but... I decided to let him stick around. We got close, and I guess I got attached. He was my only friend. He helped me with my island, and eventually, it became our island.

“He probably didn’t need me, not as much as I liked to think. He had his family, and so many friends, and I… I was just some loser on a floating rock.”

Boffy hummed. “A famous loser on a floating rock.”

Deo chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, I guess… What about you? Where’d he dig you up?”

There was a silence, a terrible, deafening silence, then Boffy spoke. “Servers are made to be little pockets of space where anything is possible. People with Admin powers are the only ones who can alter them, and sometimes, they’re the only ones who can access them,” He stretched out his hand, looking at his long, thin fingers as they cast shadows on his mask. “I’m an Admin. Not a real one, probably just a descendant, and not closely related enough for any real powers, I can’t create a server, or change the makeup of a pre-existing world…

“But I can access them, sometimes. The ones that aren’t supposed to be accessed. It’s never on purpose, and it’s only happened a few times, but… the first time, I was 4 or 5. I got stuck in a server made as a test, one that was closed down years ago. It didn’t… It didn’t operate by the same rules. Things there were… tricky. Dragons roamed the overworld. Sprites, and Wisps, and Goblins. It was awful. I was alone for a long long time. Long enough I think I lost myself a bit. Then, one day, this kid jumped out from behind a bush, pointed a stick at me, and told me to give him my armor.

“Apparently, I’d reopened the portal subconsciously, and he’d wandered through. We didn’t get along at first, he loved cows, and I couldn’t stand them, he thought Mellohi was good, I preferred Cat. I burnt down every village I came across, killed every creature, destroyed as much as I could, just because I could. He used to put up torches at night to attract moths. We were opposites, in every way that mattered.

“One day, he told me he thought he knew how to get out. We had to complete the world. If we killed the ender dragon, maybe, just maybe, we would be able to get out. We worked together for months, and eventually, he stopped stealing my stuff, and I stopped slaughtering everything we met, and we found the middle ground. It took nearly a year, but we defeated the dragon. And then we went home. My family was gone, not that I remembered them in the first place. His family was there with open arms and worried tears. For him, not for me. 

“We still talked, sometimes. He moved on, though, he had friends, and family, and he liked playing bedwars and skyblock, and he learned to make his own tiny little servers, just for himself, and he learned to forget our world. I didn’t. I don’t think I ever will.”

Deo sat there, staring at him silently, before he moved over, hugging the kid tightly. Boffy tensed for a moment, before relaxing, leaning into the other man. 

After a moment, Boffy sniffed quietly, and slipped off his mask, setting it aside to scrub at his eyes. Deo looked away respectfully, but he still saw the scars, hatching across the boy’s face, pitch black against the pale skin, like they’d been made with something not quite human.

They sat there for a moment, before Deo whispered, something he wasn’t even sure he knew how to say before then.

“He never needed us. Not as much as we needed him. But he needs us now.”

“He needs us, and there’s no fucking way we’re going to let him down.”

  
  
  
  
  


80 didn’t like mines. In bedwars, there aren’t any mines, all the ingots are pre-mined, pre-forged. He never really went on other servers, so he never really had to deal with the claustrophobia that came with it.

Purpled had no trouble navigating the dark tunnels, ducking under support beams, holding his torch out for light. 80 almost had to jog to keep up with the smaller boy’s quick pace. Finally, Purpled grinned as his torchlight struck something, sending little green lights to dance over the tunnel walls.

“Emeralds?” 80 asked.

“Emeralds.” Purpled confirmed. He raised his pickaxe, gently wedging it behind the gems and prying off a chunk. “Hell yes, thank you, Hannah.”

80 paused at the name, tossing Purpled a glance. “Hannah? Like… Hannah Rose?”

“Yeah,” Purpled paused in his mining, giving him a cautious look. “What, is she our long-lost sister?”

“No… she used to do tournaments with us.”

The blonde continued to chip at the wall, frowning a bit. “What exactly were these quote- unquote ‘tournaments’. You mentioned them earlier, but didn’t actually tell me anything about them.”

80 sighed. This had been a question he had known would come up, but he hadn’t been looking forward to it.

“When I was 11, I signed up for this tournament, called bedwars. However, I needed a teammate, so I signed you up, too. You were 7, and honestly couldn’t do much, so I told you to sit down and not make a racket. The objective was simple. Destroy the other teams’ beds, and kill them. I did horribly that first game. But I kept signing us up.

“I won my first game when I was 13. You were 9, and had only just begun helping, but you already had a decent kill streak. You didn’t like it, much, though. You were scared of heights and the arena was in the air, plus you always ended up slipping off the edge when you were speed bridging.

“By the time I was 21, we’d racked up a 9000 game win streak. We were in the big leagues. I teamed up with Technoblade to carry us to the big ten thousand, and we were golden. I could’ve left it at that, but I kept making you join, even when you said you didn’t want to. Finally, you snapped, and decided to join the Dream SMP. Next thing I know, I haven’t heard from you in months and you don’t even know I exist.”

Purpled had stopped mining, instead just staring at him. His eyes gave away nothing, and somewhere in 80’s mind, some twisted part of him thought ‘I’ve trained him well.’

“Sounds like hell.”

“Maybe it was,” 80 said, leaning against the wall. “But it was better than here.”

“Really?” Purpled scoffed, raising the pickaxe once more. “And how do you know that?”

“Because I never lied to you.”

The air seemed colder then, and he pulled his hoodie closer around him, shivering a bit in the damp cave air. The teen didn’t seem bothered, pickaxe still raised, dusty lavender eyes still fixed on the emerald. He didn’t look at 80 when he spoke, quietly.

“No one… no one’s lying to me.”

“Dream is,” 80 noticed the way he flinched at the name and felt something in his stomach curl up in rage, what the hell did that bastard do to his brother? “He says you’ve been here forever, but you haven’t.”

Purpled suddenly whirled, tossing the pickaxe to the side, and shoving his finger in 80’s face. “Oh, yeah? How do I know you’re not lying then. I remember growing up here, Punz and Sam saving my ass from mobs time after time. I remember Tommy burning down my shed because I called him a bitch. I remember… I…” His voice got quiet and he slumped back. “Dream lied, sure, I’ll believe that. Everybody lies, and that bastard is no exception. So how do I know you aren’t lying?”

80 hesitated, before reaching into his hoodie pocket. He pulled out a tattered piece of paper with faded colors and handed it to the boy.

There was a group of people, standing with their arms around each other, beaming at the camera. A younger GB80 stood, smirking, with his arms looped around the shoulders of a guy in a suit, who wore a pair of sunglasses, who was laughing at something. Standing beside them, hand on 80’s shoulder, leaning into him as he laughed, was a lanky preteen boy with faded blond hair and huge violet eyes. Purpled.

“This is… that’s me.”

“Yeah.”

“You… you’re telling the truth?”

“Yeah.”

Purpled sighed, leaning against the wall with a sigh. “So… all the good moments, all the memories that have been keeping me going… they were fake.”

80 awkwardly reached out, resting his hand on the boy’s shoulder. They stood there silently before Purpled picked his pickaxe up, slamming it into the wall with a fury 80 had never seen on him. 

“Are you… ok?”

Purpled laughed, bitterly, angrily. “Am I fucking okay?! Am I-?! No, Andrew, I’m not ok, I just found out none of my friendships are real. My entire life was a lie. And the brother I’ve always wished for is a selfish, obnoxious, stupid-” The pickaxe stuck in the wall, and he paused to tug it out and point it at 80 with a glare. “Nothing really matters. Nothing..,” He stopped, eyes unfocusing, the pickaxe slipping from his grip. “Nothing ever mattered.”

“No,” 80’s voice was firm, and Purpled jumped a bit. “Everything matters. If it’s important to you, then it’s important. Purpled, it doesn’t matter what you remember, or what you made up. If you… If you want me to leave, I will. Your memories were faked, but the life you live now… It’s real. You can have it, and I’ll go home. You deserve better, Grayson.”

Purpled froze at that, eyes wide. He looked at 80, taking in every little detail, before sighing, looking down at the picture he still held in his hand.

“Was I happy?”

“I think so.”

“...Ok. Alright, fine, but… let me grab my stuff, ok?”

80 nodded, but then froze, his eyes focusing on something further down the tunnel, a glimpse of orange in the darkness. He stepped forward, raising his torch, Purpled turning in confusion. The light fell on a man, arms crossed, dark eyes glittering in the dark.

“Hello. What are you guys up to down here?” Sapnap asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Fuck.” Purpled muttered.

80 was inclined to agree.

  
  
  
  
  


Kristen was having a very hard time. She wanted to hug Phil, beg him to come home, remind him of them, but… Technoblade wouldn’t allow it. He cared more about Phil than anyone, except for her, and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if he thought she meant harm.

The kid was another issue. The way Techno and Phil looked at him, a look of pity, and concern, but still made him sleep with the dogs… there was a story here. A story she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. 

Dinner was an uncomfortable experience, Techno still eying her carefully, Ranboo making it a point not to look at her. Phil seemed deep in thought, his crystal blue eyes fixed on his stew, his fingers tapping a bit. 

She brushed her long dark hair over her shoulder, looking at the other three for a moment, before sighing, shaking her head and standing, carrying her half-empty bowl to the sink. 

“Where’s my room?” She asked, expecting simple directions, but instead Techno stood, straightening his shirt and smoothing his pants and gesturing for her to follow him.

He led her down a ladder, into the basement, and then down another ladder. The room was small, and looked like it’d been mined hastily, but it was warm, with blankets and pillows tossed around the floor, a nest of sorts.

“Tommy lived here?”

Techno hummed, watching her move forward to the bed, picking up a pillow and fluffing it.

“Who are you?” His voice was quiet, but it was edged with something. A venom to paralyze his enemies. 

She wasn’t scared. She remembered when Phil came home with the piglin, back before they were married, she remembered teaching Techno how to speak, how to braid flowers into his hair, how to sew. He was no terrifying warrior to her, he was Phil’s old friend, who read philosophy and liked to listen to her sing.

“My name is Kristen, I told you that.”

“No, I mean, who are you? Where did you come from?”

She hesitated. She knew if he thought she was lying, he could kill her, and she would never see Phil again. If he did believe her, though… He could help. No, it wasn’t worth it.

“I met you and Phil years ago, on a server visit. I think you made more of an impression on me than did you, but that’s just how it goes sometimes.”

Techno stared at her, searching for lies. “And Tommy?” 

“Phil must’ve mentioned him.” She shrugged a bit, fighting to keep her face neutral. “He’s his son, right?”

“Yeah…” Techno’s gaze softened, just for a second, before he sighed. “I can’t remember you, but… I can’t prove you’re lying. One last thing?”

“Hm?”

“Where did you get that necklace?”

She paused, glancing down. The necklace Phil had given her for their tenth anniversary had slipped out of her robes at some point, shining in the dim light. “Oh… I think I bought it somewhere.”

Techno raised an eyebrow. “That’s Phil’s symbol.”

She faked surprise, blinking at him in confusion. “What? I don’t understand…”

He looked at her for a bit longer before adjusting his glasses, and nodding. “Me neither, Kristen. Me neither.”

He left, leaving her in the room of a boy she was starting to get more and more worried about. Where was Tommy? Where was Wilbur? Why weren’t they with their father? She felt tears prick at her eyelid and paused, dragging in a shaky breath.

She didn’t know what she was doing. She never joined servers, she never really understood the allure. Phil had bought a server once, one that permanently closed if he died, and he spent ages on it, but… She had no idea why. Tommy used to run around Hypixel, shouting at the people, arguing with anyone he came across. She could still remember when he got stuck in that warped server for three months, how much she’d missed him. At least she’d had Phil, and Techno and Wilbur.

Now, Phil didn’t know her, Techno didn’t know her, and Wilbur was missing too. 

She was alone.

Her family was in pieces and she was alone.

  
  
  
  
  


The Captain cleaned for a while, letting the monotonous movements calm him. 

Tubbo, his son, his little bumblebee, snored in bed, getting the rest he so deserved. The boy was exhausted, his eyes dimmer than Jordan had ever seen him, his voice quiet and raspy. Scars climbed his body, an explosion by the looks of it. Definitely fatal. He didn’t like this, didn’t like seeing his son in pain.

The Captain sighed, opening the door to the boy’s room one last time, just to look in, just to verify he was still there, stil ok. He was, and the man stepped out. 

The plan had been simple, Callahan had explained it very nicely, very thoroughly. They would join, find their friends, their family, and get out. On the off chance that the server had wiped their memory… well, it got a bit more complicated. They probably wouldn’t trust them, and they’d have to figure out a way to get them to believe them.

They had expected difficulties, but… His son had been through hell. He had witnessed the destruction of his city by the hands of a man he saw as a second father, a man he thought of as an uncle, in a way. 

Or maybe not. Maybe he didn’t even know Phil. Maybe they never met. Maybe he and Tommy weren’t friends now. Maybe…

There were too many maybes. Too many possibilities. He didn’t like it.

He sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table, resting his head on his hands, closing his eyes. He knew one thing at least. Tubbo needed sleep. He needed rest, and a good one at that. He needed to recover, and then… Then they could figure it out from there.

There was someone at the door, knocking. He froze, staring at it, trying not to panic. What did he do? What could he do? This was bad.

The knocking continued, followed by a “Tubbo, I know you’re in there, your lights are on.” He grimaced, glancing towards the stairs. On one hand, he didn’t want to open the door, but he also didn’t want to risk waking Tubbo. Finally, he moved to the door, cracking it open slightly.

A woman stood on the front porch, cowering from the rain. The moment the door opened, she turned, opening her mouth to speak, but froze. 

They stared at each other for a moment, Jordan and Cara, Sparklez and Puffy, the Captains. His old friend hadn’t changed much. She still wore her old red coat, her hair was still a tangled mess of white and brown, her eyes still a deep sea blue. She blinked at him, then craned her neck to peer over his shoulder. 

“Is, uh, is Tubbo here? He wasn’t at the office, and…” She looked at him suspiciously. “Just wanted to make sure he’s ok.”

He nodded, glancing back inside. “He’s taking a nap, right now.”

She narrowed her eyes at that, crossing her arms. “Can I see him?”

He paused, trying to decide whether or not it would be a bad idea, but in the end… This was Puffy. His old comrade, who had graduated from the academy with him, who had saved his life more times than he could count. Even if she didn’t remember, she was probably one of the few people he trusted more than Phil.

“Yeah, sure.”

She looked almost surprised, but she composed herself quickly, stepping past him, waltzing straight to the stairs. Her ear twitched a bit, listening for the sound of Tubbo’s breathing. Jordan followed, patiently. She paused at the boy’s door, listening, before opening it. 

She stood there for a moment, staring at the teenager’s sleeping form, eyeing him for any sort of harm, any sign he’d been drugged. Finally, she turned back to the Captain, nodding at him.

They went back downstairs, Puffy sitting on the couch, Jordan in a chair, facing each other, taking it all in.

Puffy spoke first, her voice quiet, even. “Who exactly are you?”

“Lost Kingdom Royal Guard Captain Jordan Maron Sparklez.” 

She scowled a bit at that, eyes flicking to the side, jaw tightening. “What?”

“...Jordan. Or the Captain.”

She eyed him. “I’m Puffy. Captain Puffy, actually.”

He knew that, of course he knew that, he was there at her graduation ceremony, he was the one who placed the captain’s ribbon on her chest and grinned at her as he pronounced her a real naval captain. He knew that, he knew her, but he couldn’t tell her. Instead, he just grinned. 

“Wow, two captains in the same room? We practically have a whole pirate fleet!”

She grinned at that, relaxing a bit. “Hell yeah. The dread pirates, Puffy and Sparklez, who’s names strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.”

He laughed, shaking his head at the thought. “We’d make good pirates, I think.”

“So, Jordan,” She sobered a bit. “What’re you doing in my kid’s house?”

Jordan blinked. “Your… your kid?” 

She nodded, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, my wife and I adopted him a year or so back.”

“Oh,” He said, trying to hide the anxiousness that crept up his throat. “That’s sweet...”

“Mhm. So, why are you here?”

He hesitated, glancing to the stairs. He couldn’t tell her. He really couldn’t, not now that she had adopted Tubbo, she wouldn’t want competition, wouldn’t want some stranger trying to steal her son. So he told a half-truth. “I… I just came to town, and I was looking for someone to help me out. Tubbo was in his office and the poor kid looked bone tired, so I convinced him to come home and rest. I’ve been waiting down here, I was planning on making him some food to eat when he wakes up.”

She eyed him for a bit, before nodding. “Ok, thank you.”

“Pardon?”

“Thank you,” She smiled a bit. “He hasn’t been taking care of himself, not as well as he should be. Niki and I do our best, but we have… other things to deal with. It’s nice to know that someone else is looking out for him.”

“Of course,” The Captain smiled sadly. “No kid should be under this much pressure.”

She hummed. “Yeah, he and Tommy have been working nonstop for way too long. They really do deserve some time to themselves.”

He paused. “Tommy?”

“Yeah, he’s one of Tubbo’s friends. Nice kid, but he’s got some issues, if you ask me. His dad and brothers ended up being psychos, I’m not exactly confident it doesn’t run in the family. But… he still shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

“Deal with… what exactly?”

“Everyone blames him for everything. He’s a kid. They’re both kids. They’ve messed up, yeah, but haven’t we all? People keep trying to ‘teach them lessons’, but… There’s a difference between teaching and torturing.”

The Captain thought of the scars covering his son’s body, the bags under his eyes, the bandage around his leg, and he flinched. “Oh…”

Puffy hesitated, before standing. “Do you want tea? I’m not very good at making it, that’s more Niki’s thing, but…”

He smiled at her, nodding tiredly. “Tea would be great, yeah. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

He’d been replaced, he realised, as she opened just the right cabinet, pulled out the tea pot, and the strainer and the loose leaf herbal tea, and the honey, adding four teaspoons, just like Tubbo liked it. He had been replaced by the woman he’d befriended in middle school, the woman who he’d hadn’t even noticed was missing who knows how long ago.

He wondered then if it even mattered.

Of course it did. Puffy was a good woman. Her wife sounded lovely. Tubbo had two mothers now, who cared for him, and loved him. He’d always been a mediocre father, he’d never really had time for Tubbo what with work and everything.

His son had found his family.

Maybe that’s what mattered.

  
  
  
  
  


Velvet watched as Ant moved around the kitchen, making food for them. Normally, back home, he was the one who made dinner, and Ant was the one who washed up afterwards, but now… This wasn’t the same Ant.

He had a scar on his back, which Velvet saw peeking out from under his shirt. It looked like… lighting? Or something else, something else that branched out like that. It looked like a respawn scar, but he had never been an expert on this stuff.

Ant was more confident now. He wasn’t shy before, not at all, but now he was more… He moved like a wounded animal, knowing he would have to fight like hell to survive. He kept a knife strapped to his leg, even inside, even when there was no threat.

No, that’s not quite accurate. Velvet was a threat. He would never hurt Ant, but the cat didn’t know that. For all he knew, Velvet was lying to him, making things up, trying to trick him. Until Velvet could convince him, he was a threat. 

Velvet hummed quietly, watching as Ant carried over two plates of pork chops, with some sort of mint sauce. It was raining outside, which somehow gave the scene a domestic feel. Just two lovers, enjoying a warm meal.

Except only one of them knew they were dating. Were they dating? If Ant didn’t see him as his boyfriend, then he wasn’t his boyfriend, was he? So they weren’t dating. What if Ant never recovered his memories? What if he refused to go back with Velvet? What if-

“Hey, Red. Eat your chops, they’re getting cold.”

He sighed, cutting off a bit, dipping in the sauce. It was good, incredible even, and his eyes widened a bit. 

“Holy shit.” Ant raised an eyebrow at this reaction, and Velvet plowed on. “Holy shit, Ant, this is incredible! What… I am never cooking for you again. When we get back, I want this three meals a day, seven days a week!”

Ant smiled, but it faded quickly, replaced by a frown. “When we get back? Back where?”

“Oh yeah,” Velvet quieted, poking at the meat. “Back to the hub. We have an apartment there. It’s beautiful, you keep insisting on rearranging the furniture, though, so I can never remember where anything is.”

“We… have an apartment?”

Velvet breathed out gently. “Yeah, we’re uh… we’re roommates.”

“Oh.”

They sat there in silence for a bit, eating in silence, the air thick with tension. Finally, Ant spoke up. “Look, Velvet… I get you mean well, and you want to bring me back to my ‘home’ or whatever, but… I can’t remember anything but this. This is my home.”

Velvet scowled, leaning forward, setting down his fork. “What?”

“I’m not leaving.”

“You… no, I have been looking for you for a long time, I can’t leave you.”

Ant shrugged. “Well, I don’t even remember you.”

It was quiet, both of them staring at each other, Ant’s blue eyes unwavering, Velvet’s green eyes burning. Finally, he let out a sigh, tossing his fork down and standing. He had never been able to argue with Ant. It was an unstoppable force vs an immovable object, and eventually, one of them had to give, and it was always him.    
  


He grabbed his hoodie from the coat rack, pulling it on. Ant still hadn’t moved, staring at the table, ears back. He didn’t glance up as the other man pulled on his boots, tying them and standing upright.

Velvet sighed, reaching for the door, but Ant finally spoke.

“It’s raining.”

“Yeah.”

“... I don’t want you getting hypothermia. You can stay here, tonight, if you like.”

Velvet paused, staring at him. He still hadn’t looked up, but his ears weren’t flat against his skull anymore. “Yeah, ok.”

Ant stood, picking up both their plates, tossing them in the sink, and nodded at Velvet to follow him. He led him upstairs, to a little room, where a small bed sat in the corner.

It looked lonely, Velvet decided. It looked empty. Like this was where Ant put the people he didn’t care enough about to actually do anything about. 

“Hey, Ant?”

“Hm.”

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t remember, but I’m doing my best. I’m going to get everyone out of this server, I swear. I don’t know how, but I’ll save everyone.”

“... Goodnight Velvet.”

Ant left, closing the door behind him, and Velvet sat down, letting his head fall back against the wall as he stared at the ceiling. He was cold. He was really really cold, and he missed his boyfriend, and he was starting to wish he’d eaten more, and he was so sick of not knowing what to do.

Outside, a man in a black sweatshirt walked away, tugging at his orange and yellow ski mask as he scowled. This was pretty huge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, how mysterious. anyway, give me clout pls/hj


	5. family isn't permanent and knowledge is a good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm aware the playlist link is right there, but song recommendation: i can't handle change by ROAR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmm. get the pitchforks, boys, the teletubby has arrived
> 
> the official playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7l84GLrxeijvqveSdoAlY0?si=eGLgASn6QxCkwrUeZqiz5A

Finn woke up with a headache and a sense of dread. He managed to push himself upright, letting out a hiss as his vision blurred. He blinked a bit until it cleared enough, forcing himself to stand and look around.

Bad and the blond man were gone, but Mega lay on the ground a couple dozen feet away. He winced, limping toward the younger man, but then he saw it.

Something was wrong with Mega.

Something was very wrong with Mega.

His body was completely limp, but something about him looked tense. His skin was pale, a sickly color, his eyes shut. He looked dead, but that wasn’t what made Finn pause.

Red vines, like the ones that had been sprouting from Ruby, were growing from his neck, winding around and around, a noose of thorns. Flowers, red as blood, trembling, sprouted from his mouth. His septum piercing dripped blood from his broken nose, but instead of puddling, it turned into a flower that bloomed under his head.

“Mega? Mega, please don’t be dead,” He limped closer, kneeling beside his friend, hesitantly reaching out to grab his wrist, feeling for a pulse. “Oh, shit…”

“He’ll be ok.” 

Finn stood, whirling, fists up. Ruby didn’t flinch, just tilting his head at the other man. They stared at each other for a moment, before Finn spoke. “You betrayed us.”

“No. You chipped your nail.”

Finn blinked at him, trying to see past Skeppy, past the fact that he was right there, he was right there, and he was within reach, and tried to remember that this wasn’t about his friend. This was about the fact that the thing that had replaced him had just killed Mega. 

“No, you definitely betrayed us. And he won’t be alright, he can’t respawn. He’s not connected to the server right, he’s dead,” He froze, realizing what he’d just said, his fists dropping to his sides. “He can’t respawn… You… He’s gone.”

“No,” Ruby said again, walking past Finn, kneeling to touch Mega’s forehead. “He’s going to be ok. Follow me.”

Ruby scooped up Mega’s limp body, walking away, leaving Finn to follow helplessly. He pulled his hoodie sleeve down, covering his hands, trying to forget the feeling of Mega’s hands, so cold and dry. He shuddered a bit, trying to ignore the smell of blood that seemed to come from the vines. It was horrible. Everything was horrible.

“Ruby?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you betray us?”

“I didn’t.”

Finn sighed, rubbing his forehead. “You did, though. You really did. We asked you to show us what was going on, and you led us right to Bad, and Bad killed Mega.”

“No.”

“Stop fucking saying that!” Finn screamed, shoving him a bit. He stumbled forward, his grip on Mega tightening a bit, but he stopped, turning around.

His eyes weren’t brown, like they used to be. They were black, emotionless, dull. The vine that sprouted from his temple cast a shadow in the dim light, somehow making them even darker. He spoke, quietly, his voice even and low, but not angry.

“I didn’t think he would hurt you. I came back when I knew they would not hurt me. Now I am helping you. I did not betray you, I just miscalculated. Mega isn’t dead, he’s just… taken for a bit. I’m sorry.”

He turned, walking away, leaving Finn to stare after him silently. 

Skeppy would've yelled back. 

This wasn’t Skeppy.

He knew it wasn’t, so why did he still hope for a sign, a change in the man’s behavior that would bring back his friend, and remind him of who he was. Nothing changed though. Not that Finn should’ve been surprised. If years of working on redstone had taught him anything, it was that nothing changed, if nothing changed it. If you have a problem with your cannon, it’s not going to go away, not unless you fix it.

So he sighed, pulled his hair back, blew his bangs out of his eyes, and followed Ruby into the darkness.

The tunnel was narrow, Ruby having to shift his hold on Mega to fit him in the tunnel. The boy was small, but his legs were long, and eventually, Finn took his feet, and Ruby took his shoulders, and they edged along the pathway. Mega still wasn’t moving, his dead weight still pulling on Finn’s conscience.

“Are you sure he’s not dead?”

“How much did he weigh?”

“What?”

“How much did he weigh?”

“54 kilos, give or take.”

“I don’t know how much that is.”

“Oh, yeah, you use pounds.”

“What did he use?”

“Kilograms?”

“Was he European?”

“No, Canadian.”

“Oh, I knew that, I think. This way.”

It was odd, talking to Ruby. His voice was so similar to Skeppy’s, but without the emotion, without the energy. Skeppy had been vibrant, always ready with a joke, a quip, a comment. Ruby… Ruby was nearly silent as they walked along, keeping his eyes on Mega. 

“That’s what the egg does,” He said, out loud. “It removes everything that makes you yourself. Your energy, Bad’s sympathy. It makes you a shell.”

“...”

“Well? Am I right?”

“I am not sure. It does make sense. Punz is a very cautious person, when he is not under control of the egg, Puffy is kinder without its influence, and Ant is much more relaxed on his own.”

Finn looked down at Mega. “So… what do you think that means for him?”

Ruby shrugged. 

They had come across a door, which he opened, leading Finn into a small room, made of packed dirt. He set Mega down on the floor, looking around. It was tiny, and dark, and, other than a lopsided crafting table and a chest that looked like it’d been through hell, completely empty. Early morning light peeked through the window on the door, barely illuminating anything.

“Where are we?” Finn asked. 

Ruby opened the chest, pulling out a sleeping roll. “My home.”

Finn blinked. He’d assumed the man had been living with Bad, they had always shared everything, but… well. With the egg, it did make sense for them to have grown apart. 

They sat together for a bit, Ruby cleaning and tending Mega’s wounds with an ease that made Finn nauseous. Finally, he broke the silence, his voice softer than it needed to be, in an attempt to sound casual, not scared shitless.

“When he wakes up, will he be, like, an insane cultist like Bad, or…?” He trailed off, not knowing how to end his sentence, but Ruby seemed to understand what he was asking.

“There’s no way to know. This is only the third real planting. The first was me, and I only faded a bit. My connection to the egg is… weak, I suppose. The second was Bad, his mind is connected to the egg just as much as it is to himself. Mega… may be worse, may be more volatile.”

“What about that Punz guy?”

“A moraless man, always susceptible to suggestion. The egg found the cracks in his mind and wormed its way in. The others are similar, people who never had much issue with listening to dark whispers.”

Finn looked at him, trying to see anything but Skeppy and failing. “You look like him, you know.”

Ruby nodded. “I know. How did you meet him?”

Finn sighed, shoving his bangs aside. “I… I grew up in a server meant as a prison, to keep criminals in. I learned to make weapons, actually, sell them. It wasn’t legal, at all, but… it was life. One day, people came to the server, recruiting for a test group, called the I-Dots. I signed up in a last ditch attempt to get out of there, and next thing I know, I’m standing in a lab, being forced to undergo bullshit test after test.

“The others with me were this guy named Harvey, a guy called Zelk, a guy called Vurb, and this dumbass named Geo. And Mega, technically, but they kept him seperate. Things weren’t too bad, at first. They’d test drugs and stuff on us, or have us do physical tests. Then, one day, something happened to Mega. They wouldn’t tell us what, but they moved us to a new facility. 

“A month later, Skeppy arrived, with his dumbass grin, and his stupid confidence. He broke us out, and took us to his little base, and introduced us to Bad. A week or so later, he showed up with Mega, and that was that.

“In all honesty, the only two people in the group I would really call my friends are Mega and maybe Vurb, on a good day. But Skeppy and Mega? They were like siblings, like brothers. Skeppy bullied Mega, Mega bullied Skeppy, but they were family. I was just a bystander.”

“So why are you here?”

Finn hesitated. He had been wondering that himself, and now… he didn’t want to admit it, but he knew. He knew exactly why he’d been invited.

“It’s because of that, actually. I’m not too close. Callahan requested for Mega to come in hopes of bringing back Skeppy and Bad’s memory. He asked for me because he knows that if things go wrong… I can actually pull the trigger.”

Boffy hadn’t slept. That wasn’t rare. It wasn’t a surprise. The admin blood in his veins and years of practice made it possible for him to stay up for weeks at a time. 

Besides, every time he closed his eyes, he saw the bright blue eyes of a boy he once called a friend, glaring down at him, levelling a sword at his neck. 

He left the cave at dawn. It’d been a while since he’d been in a world like this. A world where people lived. These days, he mostly just snuck into old servers, wandering alone, burning forests, killing anything he came across, feeling the rush of adrenaline that came with the feeling of taking a mob’s life. 

He was probably a psychopath, he thought, poking at a beehive with a stick and watching them swarm out.

He eventually found himself at the crater, in the city. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for until he found it- a small bench just outside of the blast radius. He sat there, gazing at the destruction. It was beautiful in a terrible way, like the creatures back in the server, or fire. He wasn’t sure what happened here, but it had clearly been bad.

Someone sat down beside him, and he didn’t even turn to look. He didn’t have to, he knew that sigh anywhere.

He knew he’d come around.

“Sorry.”

That got his attention, and he looked over at Tommy, tilting his head a bit. Tommy never apologised. It was one of the things Boffy admired about him, as well as one of the things that pissed him off most.

“For what?” He kept his voice quiet, but not soft. He was never soft.

Tommy let out a snort. “For threatening you I guess. I just… You said you knew me, but I don’t know you. That can’t be possible.”

Boffy paused, turning back to the hole. “I guess you’re right, it doesn’t make much sense… What do you remember?”

“Everything,” Tommy sounded weary, almost, his voice low. “I remember growing up with Wilbur, and meeting Tubbo, and… but I don’t remember you.”

“And you think you’ve lived here your whole life?”

“I have.”

Boffy didn’t respond for a while, thoughts whirling. The man with the antlers, Callahan, had said this might happen, but he hadn’t said what to do in that scenario. Boffy was on his own, in the dark, solving puzzles he didn’t even understand.

“I missed you.”

The second the words left his mouth, he regretted them, hands clenching into fists, shoulders rising to his ears. Tommy turned, staring at him with those goddamn eyes, those fucking wells of emotion, and Boffy was suddenly glad he wore his mask, so the other boy couldn’t see his lip start to tremble.

Tommy opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it, slumping back in his seat, staring at the crater. “...Prove it.”

Boffy laughed, a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Prove I missed you?”

“No, prove… prove you knew me, I knew you. Tell me something, something only I could’ve told you.”

He paused at that, thinking. “I know… I know your dad called you Toms, and you always complained, but you actually liked it. I know you like cows because they’re strong and won’t die if you forget to feed them. I know you hate mushroom stew, because you’re worried they will grow in your stomach. I know your favorite color is red, but only if it’s with other colors, otherwise you like blue. I know you’re ambidextrous, but you only write with your right hand, because that’s how everyone else does it. I know you’re incredibly claustrophobic, but you like to sleep in tight spaces, because it feels like a hug. I know you hate people making fun of your posture, and your laugh, and your accent. I know you are ridiculously protective of your friends, to the point where you would set yourself on fire to keep them warm.”

Tommy was silent, so he waited. He’d said his bit. He’d said what he had to say. It was up to Tommy now.

“How old were we? When we met?”

Boffy paused, tilting his head. “You were… 11, I think. I was 10.”

“So, we’re like childhood best friends and shit.”

He glanced at the older boy, who’s eyes remained fixed on the crater. “No, I don’t think I was ever your best friend. You had too many for that. You were always a social butterfly.”

“And you weren’t?”

“... People don’t like me.”

It was quiet for a while, the kind of silence where you wanted to fill it, but couldn’t, like a vase with a hole in the bottom. Boffy picked at a scab on his hand, watching the blood well out. It was a nice shade of red, almost exactly the color of Tommy’s bandana.

“How long have I been here, really?”

“A year? Two years? I’m not quite sure, but it was long enough for people to notice.”

Tommy sighed, pulling one of his legs up to his chest, setting his chin on his knee. “Who?”

Boffy grinned at that, sourly, his mouth twisting. “Everyone. Even people who didn’t know you personally noticed your absence. You were… you were such a huge fucking deal,” He let out an amused huff, letting his head fall back onto the back of the bench, staring at the sky. “Everyone loved you.”

Tommy sniffed and Boffy’s head snapped up, staring at the blond in alarm. He didn’t know how to deal with crying. Luckily, Tommy looked like he was trying to hide it, and Boffy graciously looked away, staring at the patchy grass now.

“People cared? They actually cared? I… I guess I wasn’t as annoying then, huh?”

“Nah, you were the fucking worst. They liked you anyway. You have that sorta charm.”

“Had. I had that sort of charm, people don’t like me anymore.”

Boffy looked at him then, at the bags under his eyes, at the scabs that spotted his arms, at the blisters on his palms, like he’d been holding something way too hot for way too long. 

“You don’t like yourself, do you?”

Once again, he cursed his lack of a filter as the boy curled up more, eyes filling up with tears. Still, Tommy laughed. “No, not really, but can you blame me? A friend of mine once said I’m a walking problem. He was right.”

“Fuck you.”

Tommy looked at him in surprise and confusion. “What?”

“Fuck you, you’re not allowed to do this. You are not allowed to shit talk my best friend.”

Tommy hesitated, before laughing again, a choked noise that sounded more like a sob than anything. “Your taste in people is shit, man.”

“Tommy,” His tone was deadly serious for once, and Tommy turned to him, looking so incredibly worried, so incredibly guilty, and Boffy wanted so bad to ask what happened, who had broken him, who had hurt him, but he couldn’t. He had to stay focused. “Tommy, when we were kids, you pushed me into a chasm.”

Tommy’s eyes widened, his face paling, but Boffy held up a hand. “It was an accident. We were joking around, and you nudged me, and I fell. I shattered my leg.

“You spent 7 hours trying to get me out of there. You used all of your regen potions to help me heal. You made me stay in bed for weeks, until you were sure I was okay. You could’ve left me to rot, Tommy. You could’ve left, and let me respawn, and I still would’ve loved you, but you didn’t. Yesterday, I left you, and I swear to god, I am never going to do that again. You are the only person on this hell of an earth who has ever been kind to me, and I don’t care whether on not you choose to accept it, I am going to fucking get you out of here.”

Tommy stared at him for a bit, before sucking in a sharp breath and lunging at him. 

Boffy wasn’t used to hugs. He froze, feeling Tommy’s arms tighten around him, before awkwardly hugging him back. His mask dug into his face as he buried his face in the other boy’s shoulder, but he didn’t move. He could feel Tommy’s spine through his shirt, and he scowled, thinking of what he was going to do to whatever bastard had hurt his friend.

They headed back to the cave, after that. Deo was awake, silently eating a loaf of bread, staring at the ashes of the fire, but he looked up when he heard the sound of footsteps, eyes widening at the sight of Tommy.

“Hey…” The blond muttered, eyes not meeting the man’s, fiddling a bit with his sleeve. “Sorry for trying to kill you yesterday.”

Deo’s face softened, eyes throwing a concerned glance to Boffy, who could only shrug in response. “I… It’s alright. It takes a lot more than that to take down the great TimeDeo.”

Tommy smiled a bit, nervously, shakily. It was so tense, so uncomfortable, and then Deo held out another loaf of bread, an offering, and Tommy smiled for real, taking it gratefully.

They sat around the firepit, trading stories. Tommy talked about L’Manburg, about the war, about the elections. He didn’t tell them everything. He left just enough gaps in his story for Boffy to notice, but he didn’t push. At least now he had a better idea of why Tommy was like this, why he was so faded, so tired. He thought he knew who was responsible too.

He’d never liked Dream all that much, he thought.

“Look, Sapnap, we can explain.” Purpled stepped forward, spreading his arms placatingly, his eyes pleading. “We’re not… we’re not up to anything.”

“Uh huh. A friend of Sam and Punz, chatting up a complete stranger in a dark tunnel. You see where I’m coming from, right? Picking up what I’m putting down?”

Sapnap almost felt bad, but… he’d never trusted the kid much, and now that he was hanging out with those egg freaks, it was really really hard not to see him as anything but a threat.

Purpled winced, arms lowering. “Look, being friends with people from the Badland doesn’t… It doesn’t mean I’m with them. I’m not with anyone and you know that. Please, just… Don’t tell Ponk, ok?” 

“Why? Don’t want him to know you’re leaving?”

The teen’s eyes widened, his face paling. “How much… how much did you hear?”

“Enough. He’s saying your memories are faked, that you weren’t born here. You believe him and are planning to run away.”

Sapnap saw the other guy, 80, step back, eyes flickering from his “brother” to the other man. He looked nervous. 

“Ok, so you get it, right? I’ve got to go, I’ve got to get home.”

Sapnap raised an eyebrow. “Yeah… and you’re sure that he’s telling the truth?”

Purpled paused, looking back at 80, before nodding slowly. “And even if he’s not… what do I have to lose?”

Sapnap couldn’t think of a response to that, so he just shrugged. 80… he was eerily familiar. Obviously, Sapnap had never met him, but something about his name… it brought back a burn in his lungs, the smell of smoke, the taste of iron. He didn’t trust this man. He really really didn’t, but… 

“Ok. So if you are telling the truth, if Purpled is from somewhere else-”

“You all are. Nobody was really born here.”

“... If Purpled is from somewhere else. Why can’t he remember it? Why are all his memories altered?”

80 hesitated, frowning. “I don’t… Callahan just explained it was a bug. Where the people on the server couldn’t contact anyone on the outside. In… a week? Two weeks? There's going to be a server crash. Everyone will die.”

Purpled stared at him, wide eyed. “Ok, you did not mention that part.”

Sapnap crossed his arms, scowling. He didn’t trust 80, but… what if he wasn’t lying? What if this really was that serious?

“So… you were going to get Purpled out, leave us to die?”

80 didn’t respond, his silence saying it all. His eyes were fixed on Sapnap, a cold stare that made him almost nauseous. He didn’t like this.

“Wait… 80, is that true?” Purpled was pale, his face plastered with something between betrayal, awe, and horror.

“Family is first priority.”

Sapnap scoffed. “Whatever. Take him, and go, if you want. I have a server to warn.” He turned to leave.

80 grabbed his arm, fingers gripping him tight enough to bruise. “No. You can’t.”

Sapnap wrenched his arm away, fear swelling in his chest. “What the fuck?! I can’t just let them die!”

80’s eyes were colder than ice, the mismatched colors giving him a slightly deranged look, and Sapnap felt a sliver of ice run down his spine as the man spoke. “I’m not saying to let them die. There’s others like me, people who remember. We’re going to get everyone out, or at least, the important ones. But you can’t tell them. Whoever put the code in the server, they don’t know we know. We have to keep it that way.”

“Why?! If they know we know, they’re scared! They’re paranoid! Good!”

80 shook his head. “No. No, you don’t understand. If they know, they can just rewrite our memories, again. Now no one remembers. Now we’re fucked. Now we’re dead.”

Sapnap hesitated. He had a point… “Who is it? Dream?”

To his surprise, 80 shook his head. “Apparently, it’s an unknown entity. The logs wouldn’t say who, only that they weren’t supposed to be there. They locked the command, too, so he can’t edit it.”

Purpled was still frowning, deep in thought. “Ok, so… not supposed to be there… not an Admin or not given admin rights for the server… so it’s not Dream, it’s not Callahan, it’s not Alyssa. That leaves a lot of people…”

Sapnap rubbing his chin, massaging the scar on his jaw. “Yeah… it’s not me, or George, both of us have admin rights. Eights? Anyone else you can vouch for?”

80 scowled at the nickname, crossing his arms. “Well… I can say who we’re here to get, the people Callahan apparently trusted enough,” He held up his hand, counting off. “Tommy, Tubbo, Purpled, Phil, Ant, Skeppy and Bad.”

Sapnap blinked. “That’s… that’s it?”

“Yeah.”

He crossed his arm, thinking. “Ok. Ok, so Phil was going to be my next guess, but if it’s not him… You said that Bad’s clear?”

80 nodded and Purpled let out a sigh. “That literally just cleared the two people most likely responsible for all of this.”

Sapnap shook his head, waving his arm. “Look, I cannot think down here, can we please head outside? I need fresh air.”

Purpled nodded, and 80 just turned and started walking. They continued discussing it, exchanging theories.

“Maybe it was just a hacker. They joined the server, fucked with it, then left.” 80 suggested, rolling up his sleeves.

Purpled nodded, but he pointed out, “Why would someone do that, though? What motivation would someone have for killing a bunch of people? And why so long term?”

Sapnap snapped his fingers, pointing at the teen. “Hey, yeah, that’s a great point. When was the command sent?”

80 thought about it, his eyebrows creasing. “18 months ago?”

Purpled hesitated. “That’s a year and a half right?”

“Yeah,” 80 sighed. “It’s a year and a half. I think around the time of the elections?”

Sapnap gave him a look. “How do you know about the elections?”

“Callahan gave us a rough timeline, everything from L’Manburg being founded to the downfall of Manburg.”

“He missed a lot, then, the third war was months ago.”

“The third war?”

Purpled spoke up, then. “Yeah, there were four wars. The Disc War, the Revolution, the Fall of Manburg and- literally last week- Doomsday.”

“I still like Dog Stab Day better.” Sapnap chimed in, getting an elbow in the ribs.

80 hummed, but he looked distracted, his eyes focused on the ground. Suddenly, he stopped, glancing behind them. “How long have we been walking?”

Sapnap froze. He was right, they weren’t that deep in the mineshaft, maybe a 5 minute walk, they should be out by now. His anxiety spiked, memories of manhunts, of a masked man hiding behind every crevice, just waiting to strike. He wasn’t here. He couldn’t be here. He wasn’t here. He couldn’t-

“Sapnap!” Purpled was staring at him, concern in his eyes. “You ok man? You’re freaking out a bit…”

Sapnap stared at the boy, his heart still pounding in his chest. 

And then he ran, sprinting through the pitch black tunnel, boots slipping on pebbles, hands slamming into the walls at every turn. He had to get out. He had to get out. Tunnels weren’t safe, they gave Him too many hiding spots. He was good at disguise. He was here. He always was.

Sapnap’s foot caught on an uneven bit of rock, and he fell. Footsteps behind him. He had to get out. He pulled out his sword, levelling it in the direction of the person who held the torch, who slowed, standing there. He couldn’t see their face, it was just out of range of the torchlight. He was amused, Sapnap thought, He was amused, this was going to hurt.

“Sapnap?”

That wasn’t His voice. His voice was silky, like a river covered in ice, this… this was rougher. Nasally. Bad? No, no, Bad’s voice was squeakier. This was somewhere in between, and Sapnap couldn’t trust it. He couldn’t. He shouldn’t.

“Sapnap, it’s ok.”

No, it wasn’t.

“Can you slow your breathing?”

No, he couldn’t.

“Can I touch you really quick?”

“No!” He raised his sword again. The person stepped back. He hadn’t even realised they were coming closer.

“Sapnap, it’s me, ok?”

Who?

“It’s Purpled.”

Oh. Purpled. Punz’ friend. He didn’t know the dangers of tunnels, he wasn’t there. He wasn’t Him, either. He wasn’t safe, of course he wasn’t safe, but he wasn’t in any immediate danger, so he dropped his sword, letting it clatter to the floor as he curled up into a ball, trying to remember how to breathe.

Fuck, this shouldn’t be so hard. 

Someone was beside him, but he didn’t care anymore. He had to breathe. He had to live, he had to keep going, for Karl, for Quackity, for George. He couldn’t die here, not by forgetting to breathe. Not by scaring himself to death, not by letting Him win.

So Sapnap breathed.

Techno did not trust her. He knew Phil did, for some bizarre reason, but he didn’t. He couldn’t, not when she stared at Phil like that. 

The moment she’d introduced herself, everything had changed. Techno had felt phantom hands in his hair, heard a piano, smelled fresh paper. His head had cleared immediately, all stress fading to a sense of overwhelming rightness.

The voices had gone silent when she arrived too, which was something so incredibly concerning on it’s own, but it got so much worse when paired with the few whispers he’d heard- ‘why is she here?’ ‘this shouldn’t be happening…’ ‘what does this mean?’ ‘this changes things’ ‘the one in white is here too… i can feel him.’

Technoblade didn’t like not knowing things. It was one of his biggest peeves, when someone knew more than him. But when he knew something- sensed something- and no one listened to him… that was worse. God, that was so much worse. 

He skipped breakfast, not wanting to look at her, to feel the wrongness of her presence. So he went outside, taking his sword, looking for something, anything to stab, to kill, to destroy. He wasn’t even sure why he was so antsy, he just had to move, had to do something with his hands. 

The sun was only barely over the horizon when he found him.

“Hey, Techno.”

“Dream.”

The Admin didn’t say anything for a bit, watching him take down a creeper with ease. His mask had a crack in it, probably from doomsday, and his hair was long, nearly around his shoulders. He looked feral, Techno decided.

“What have you been up to?” He asked, walking deeper into the woods, eyes open for more mobs. “Haven’t seen you around.”

“Oh, you know,” Dream followed, casually putting his hands in his pockets. “Fixing server bugs. Hanging out with my friends.”

“You don’t have friends.”

“I have Punz and Sam. I have you.”

Techno hummed at that, neither confirming nor denying anything. In all honesty, even he wasn’t sure how he saw Dream. An ally, a rival, a friend, an enemy? Human relations was not his strong suit, but in the end, it didn’t matter. He owed Dream. He owed Dream, and that’s the only thing that meant anything to the other man.

“So. You’ve been working on the server? Got any plans?”

“Eh,” Dream stretched, raising his arms over his head, casually. “Not really, we’ve been having a comms issue, but it’s not too bad. Oh, by the way…”

Techno glanced at him, warily. 

“Have you seen anything strange? People joining the server who shouldn’t be, claiming to know you, saying your memories are fake?”

Techno hesitated, thinking of the woman currently back at the cabin. “No. I don’t think so.”

Dream hummed, still staring at him. “You’re sure?”

“Look, you said this wasn’t a big deal, right? People joining without being whitelisted is a pretty concerning thing.”

“Yeah, normally, it would be. That’s why I’m double checking, you know? In case this is bigger than I thought.”

“Ah. A precaution, then.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

They were both lying, and they both knew it, but neither could call the other out. Their cards were held close to their chests, and the only thing they knew was that something was wrong.

Phil had put a ward around the house, meant to keep anyone with ill-intentions from entering. Kristen would be safe.

Dream had locked the logs away, the only people able to view them were him, Callahan and Alyssa. Techno had no chance at finding the bug.

They were at an impasse.

They were always at an impasse. Techno was stronger, but Dream was faster. Techno was wiser, but Dream was smarter. Techno was richer, but Dream was more well-known.

Techno hated it. He wanted to win, or lose. He was sick of this limbo, no one winning, no one losing.

They walked together in silence for a bit, each in their own head, neither speaking. It was almost friendly, how Dream hummed, how Techno silently pointed out a bird in one of the trees. 

And then they reached the treeline, and Techno’s house came into view, and he turned to Dream, nodding stiffly. The Admin smiled, bowing a bit, half mocking, half friendly, and then he was gone. 

Techno walked inside, shaking the snow off his boots at the doorway.

“Techno, mate, where were you?!” Phil’s voice drifted down the stairs.

Techno shrugged. “Out.”

“Obviously, but what were you doing?”

Techno ignored him in favor of walking into the kitchen. Ranboo was sitting at the breakfast table. He had been eating a bowl of oatmeal, but the second the piglin entered, he tensed up, eyes widening. He looked scared. He was scared. Techno nodded at him, and the teen relaxed a bit.

Techno picked up an orange from the counter, and started peeling it with serious difficulty, his hooves not quite suited for the task. Suddenly, soft hands pulled the fruit from his hands, removing the peel in one smooth move, handing it back in quarters. 

He froze, before glaring at Kirsten. “I had that.”

She shook her head, grinning fondly. “Of course you did.”

“I…” He scowled. Nothing he said here would end well for him. She had officially won. He bit into the orange, not bothering to separate the slices. 

She smirked, turning to Ranboo next and smiling at him. “You slept in quite a bit. Didn’t think a boat would be so comfortable.”

He blinked at the acknowledgement, a pink flush spreading over his cheeks. “Oh, yeah, no. Endermen are nocturnal, I’m not very good at sleeping during the night. Sleeping in the boat didn’t help though,” He noticed Techno’s glare and very quickly backtracked. “Not that it’s a bad boat! Lovely craftsmanship, it’s just… not great for sleeping…?”

Techno huffed, turning away. He didn’t mind Ranboo. He actually kinda liked the kid, but… the last time he let a kid live with him… it hadn’t turned out well. He scowled at the memory. 

He missed Tommy.

No, he didn’t. Of course he didn’t that’s ridiculous, why would he miss the obnoxious kid with his dumb laugh and stupid grin and annoying voice. 

He hoped Tommy was doing alright, somewhere out there.

It was almost lunch before he and Kristen got stuck together, Kristen coming out to help with feeding the cows. They were silent for a while before Kristen spoke. 

“What happened to them?”

Techno glanced at her. “Who?”

“My- I mean, Phil’s sons, Wilbur and Tommy. What happened to them, are they…”

“Dead?” Techno sighed quietly. “Yeah, Wilbur is. Tommy might as well be. He’s a traitor, and a thief.”

Kristen was silent, and he turned to look at her. She was frozen, her eyes fixed on the melon in her hand. He stopped, staring at her. She looked so upset, but she hadn’t even known the boys.

“How did he die?”

Techno hesitated. He didn’t like talking about Wilbur, especially not his death, but… “He forced Phil to kill him. He had… he was gone, completely.”

She let out a sob, collapsing on the spot, and he just stared as she knelt on the ground, curling in on herself. 

That’s when he realised some things.

She had a gold band on her finger. A wedding ring.

Her hair was a deep chocolate brown, the same as Wilbur’s.

Her necklace bore Phil’s symbol. A symbol meant for his family, a sign of good will.

The way she looked at Phil…

The way Dream had talked of the bug.

The voices confirmed it, then, and he felt his heart shatter.

“Oh. Oh god…”

And Techno knelt beside her, beside the wife of his best friend, the mother of his protege, the woman who had raised his old training partner and he cried for her, with her.

The Blood God, and the Angel of Life wept for a world nearly gone, and for children who never learned their purpose.

Tubbo woke up late the next morning, stumbling downstairs just as Puffy was cleaning up for lunch. She smiled at her son, chuckling at his confused expression.

“How’d I get home?” He asked, sitting at the table, propping his chin in his hand, blinking around the room. 

He looked like a duckling, she thought, with his hair messed up.

“I carried you.” Jordan stepped into the room, hovering uncomfortably in the doorway. Puffy smiled at him, and he smiled back.

“Oh!” Tubbo straightened up a bit. “Mr Captain, sir! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep…”

“Ey, Tubs,” Puffy batted playfully at his head, making sure it was light enough that it wouldn’t hurt. “What did we say about apologising too much?”

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “I don’t have to apologize for existing, but-!” 

“Uh-uh, no excuses, bumble-bee. Do you want a sandwich?”

He nodded, smiling a bit at the nickname. 

She looked at Jordan, who was still lingering awkwardly in the doorway. “Jordan? Would you like one?”

He hesitated, before nodding carefully. “A sandwich sounds good, thank you.” He moved over to the table, sitting down across from the boy, but he didn’t look any more comfortable.

Tubbo immediately started chattering away about flowers, leaving the captain to glance at Puffy in amusement, but he nodded along, smiling gently at the boy.

Puffy grinned at the scene, getting out the cheese and butter. By the time the stove was hot enough, Tubbo had moved on, and was now talking about ocean biology, and draining. By the time she had all three sandwiched plated, he was talking about… actually, she had no idea, but it sounded complicated.

He smiled brightly at her, taking the plate and nibbling at the crust. “My mom makes the best grilled cheese in the server! Try it!”

Jordan’s face seemed to darken, but he took a bite and smiled politely. Tubbo kept going, rambling about her and her achievements, leaving Puffy to chuckle in embarrassment and try and deflect the praise.

Jordan didn’t say a word, letting them talk, letting Tubbo say what he wanted. He didn’t look much like he was paying attention, his eyes fixed on the plate, his mouth tight.

Puffy wanted to ask if he was okay, but… 

Tubbo suddenly jumped up, shouting something about work and running off.

Well, here’s her chance. Here’s where she asked if he was ok. It’d be so easy, just a “hey, how are you?” and then a sympathetic nod or two… but she couldn’t. She didn’t know why, but it was almost like some part of her brain knew why she was upset, but refused to share it with the rest.

So she didn’t say anything, finishing her sandwich and sitting there, silently, her hand gently tapping the table.

Why was it awkward? Before Tubbo came down, they’d sat together in complete comfort, chatting quietly, enjoying each other’s company, but now…

Someone knocked on the door, and she rose, smiling apologetically at him. She walked to the door, running a hand through her curls and sighing a bit as she opened the door, eyes meeting with…

“Ant?”

Ant smiled uncomfortably, eyes flicking past her. “Hey Puff, can I come in?”

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes flicking between him and the men behind him. One of them, Ponk, she vaguely recognized, but the other was a complete stranger.

“Sure…”

She didn’t know what was going on, but she wasn’t sure she liked it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhhhhhhh the next chapter will be the first entirely from one POV (hope you guys like punz lmfaoooo)
> 
> comments make my day :)
> 
> edit: format got fucked, sorry


	6. Things Are Changing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> something's happening by jack stauber's micropop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punz.
> 
> also, handsamdude kahfjsjfgj because i love him sm oml he <3<3<3
> 
> this chapter is just a bit of lore, and also character building and also just a hint of foreshadowing, but uh.

Punz woke up with blood on his hands.

He woke up with blood on his hands, and on his jeans, and on his hoodie, and he had no idea whose it was, or what he’d done. It wasn’t rare to wake up with no memory of what had happened, he wasn’t a stranger to drinking, but this was different. This time, he’d hurt someone.

And he couldn’t do anything about it.

What would he even do? Put out a poster saying ‘found: a whole lot of blood’? He had literally no options here. People didn’t trust him anyway, and if he were to show up one day with someone’s death on his hands…

He washed it off in his kitchen sink. It swirled down the drain, a sickening rust color that stained the porcelain a pale pink.

His hoodie was done for, he’d have to get a new one. His jeans weren't past saving, so he tossed them in a corner of his room to keep. His sneakers had a good amount of blood on them too, but he should be able to scrub it off.

Where was all this blood from? There was so much, and it was still almost fresh. Judging from the spray pattern, he’d… slit their throat? The blood on his wrist, hand and sleeve was a lot darker than the rest, but he wasn’t sure why. Why would he kill someone, unless…

He had to find Dream.

That in itself was usually quite the chore, the man was reclusive, his base hidden somewhere in the mountains, high enough that Punz wouldn’t be able to make it on foot, even if he knew where it was. In fact, other than Dream, the only person who ever knew where to find the man would probably be was Callahan.

Punz didn’t like the other Admin much, he was eerie, and had a tendency to watch things, horrible things, without batting an eye. But if he wanted Dream, he needed Callahan. 

He found him too, in the market, chatting with Sam, who was kneeling to be at eye level with him. Punz hesitated, glancing down at his hands, almost to double check that the blood was really gone, before approaching the two.

Sam smiled at him, immediately, his sharp teeth gleaming at the younger man. Callahan’s face didn’t change much, but he tilted his head curiously at the other man.

“Hey… Callahan… I, uh, I need to find Dream. Do you know where he is?”

Callahan titled his head again, thinking. Sam raised an eyebrow at Punz, dark eyes searching his face. Dream was on the Other Side, after all, it didn’t make much sense for Punz to want to talk to him.

“What do you need Dream for?” The engineer asked.

He hesitated. “He killed me a while back and took some of my armor, I need it back.”

Sam nodded, satisfied, and Callahan raised his hands to speak. ‘I don’t know where he is, currently. Have you asked Alyssa?’

He huffed, shaking his head. “No, I’ll do that, thanks.”

“Oh, if you’re going to visit her,” Sam stood, stretching his horse like legs, straightening his golden armor. “May I join you? I’ve been meaning to give her something, but I always manage to forget.”

Punz grinned. “Yeah, of course dude.”

Sam smiled happily and bid farewell to Callahan. Together, they walked through town, enjoying the momentary quiet. The creeper moved silently, Punz’s footsteps the only sound. It was so peaceful, so calm, and the man tilted his head back, letting his eyes slip shut, just breathing in the air. He was so tired…

“What happened to your jacket?”

He opened one eye, peering up at Sam. “What?”

Sam motioned to his bare arms with a clawed hand and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Your jacket. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without it.”

“Oh… I got something on it, gonna need a new one.”

“Oh, Punz,” Sam smiled, shaking his head mock disapprovingly. “I told you white was a bad color for a jacket. It stains way too easily.”

He grinned at that. “Yeah, well, it’s kinda my thing, you know? Besides, it blends with my skin tone.”

Sam laughed, his dog-like face lighting up in amusement. Punz tried not to feel too smug, but he couldn’t remember the last time someone had laughed at one of his jokes. Dream would chuckle a bit, but it felt ingenuine. Purpled would roll his eyes, muttering something about him being a loser. Jack would try and out-funny him, which pissed him off. 

Sam finally quieted down, sighing in amusement and twisted, shuffling through the saddle bags that were fastened to his lower body. Punz paused, watching him shove aside enderpearls and emeralds casually, as if they weren’t invaluable beyond belief, and pulled out a light blue hoodie, almost the same color as his festival sweater.

“This should be around your size.” He smiled, handing the jacket to Punz, before continuing, leaving the smaller man to stare at the hoodie in shock. 

He didn’t get gifts often. Most of the time, anything he received was for a service, or some form of payment, but this… He slipped on the hoodie, suddenly realising how cold he’d been. It was lined with some sort of fleece that felt so much softer than anything he’d ever touched, but it wasn’t heavy.

“Punz?” Sam was waiting up ahead, watching him curiously.

Punz smiled, hugging himself and continuing on his way, walking beside the creature. “Thanks, man. I’ll give it back to you, I swear.”

Sam smiled, waving his hand dismissively. “No, it’s all right. Keep it.”

Punz paused. You don’t just… give gifts, not in this server. You stole, or you traded, you didn’t just… receive for nothing. 

But Sam was different. Sam cared.

No, he probably didn’t, Punz reasoned. The centaur was one of the richest creatures on the server, he was just showing off. He had resources to spare. Punz didn’t. It was a nice flex, nothing more.

Besides, Dream had told him that no one else cared.

Dream wouldn’t lie.

“Punz?”

He looked up at Sam, blinking a bit. 

“You alright? You got all quiet there.”

Punz swallowed down the lump in his throat at that, faking a grin. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine, just tired. Didn’t sleep much last night.”

Sam winced sympathetically. “Oh. I’m sorry, that sucks.”

“Eh, it happens.”

They reached Alyssa’s house then, a quant little cottage with flowers that sprouted in the window boxes. The woman herself was in the garden, digging with a trowel, a half dozen saplings layed out beside her.

Sam cleared his throat and she looked up, nodding at them. “Hey guys, what can I do for you?”

Punz waved a bit, awkwardly. “Hey, Callahan said you might know where Dream is? I need to talk to him.”

Alyssa blinked at that. “Oh… he did?”

“Yeah,” Sam grinned, “He really thinks highly of you, huh?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, fuck off. We’re not dating.”

“Oh, yeah?” Punz added. “How does that make you feel?”

She stared at the two for a moment, before shaking her head and going back to work. Her mask hid her lower face, but the men could tell she was smiling as she spoke. “Ok, very funny assholes. Just for that, I’m not telling you anything.” 

Punz laughed, but put his hands up. “Alright, alright, my bad.”

She grinned, before raising her hands. A screen appeared in front of her, shimmering lines of code on transparent grey. Punz couldn’t read it, but she gazed at it for a moment, before nodding toward the woods biome. “He’s at the mansion. Do you need the coords?”

He sighed, shaking his head. “No, I got it. Uh… that was pretty easy huh?”

She got what he was asking immediately, and nodded, eyes sparkling. “Yeah, Callahan absolutely could’ve done that.”

He huffed. That reindeer bastard… He started walking away, waving over his shoulder. Sam called out a goodbye, and he turned, grinning at the creeper, before hiking up the sleeves on his new jacket.

It wasn’t cold, exactly, but it was chilly enough he shivered as he walked under the shade of the trees. Pandora’s Vault stood high and proud over the water, and he grinned a bit, mentally congratulating Sam on his incredible building. It couldn’t be easy to create such a gorgeous piece of art with four legs and terrible balance.

Although… he could’ve sworn there was a mine entrance around here…

He kept walking into the forest, listening to the birds and occasional wolves. It was nice out here, especially in the daylight, when no dangerous mobs wandered the landscape.

Mobs were a bit of a coin toss when it came to whether or not they were dangerous. Sometimes, they wandered into human civilization and, instead of killing, destroying, ruining everything, they learned, and grew. 

Creepers, like Sam, had a tendency to be skilled with redstone, and machines. Blazes, like Ponk and Sapnap, were incredible fighters, and loyal to a fault. Endermen, like that Ranboo kid, were generally wise, and knew how to work with what they had. Piglins, like Technoblade, were usually very territorial, but still incredible tacticians and knew how to fight.

There were other kinds of mobs, too, of course. Withers that learned to take on human form, like Eret, or Guardians who had learned to walk on land like Kr-

No, he wasn’t sure about that. He wasn’t sure he’d ever actually met a Land Guardian.

Sometimes, though, he thought he heard laughter in his dreams, saw Eret and two other men, saw teal. Some sort of tournament, that he won, that they won. He wasn’t even sure why he remembered Eret being there, her deep voice calling out directions, her laugh ringing in his ears. The other two were strangers, the Guardian with the sharp smile and single gleaming eye and the man with the face mask and quick feet. He didn’t know when any of this had happened, either. It couldn’t have been recent, but he was an adult. It was like a dream, but it wasn’t quite right…

He was at the mansion, finally.

He opened the door, carefully, poking his head in. “Dream?”

A pause, then from upstairs, Dream’s voice called back. “Punz?”

He sighed, stepping inside and moving to the stairs, taking them three at a time. The taller man stood at the top, head tilted as he watched his friend come up. 

“What are you doing here? I thought we agreed no meeting up in daylight.” Dream didn’t sound annoyed though, just concerned, his lips thin as he gazed at the other man, tilting his head in curiosity.

Punz nodded. “Yeah, but we have a bit of an emergency. I think…” He hesitated. “I think I killed someone.”

Dream paused, then laughed. “Uh, Punz? You’ve killed several people. I don’t get what the problem is here.”

Punz shook his head. “No, no, I mean… I think I killed someone, but I don't know who, or why. I woke up covered in blood this morning, but I don’t remember where it came from, I… Dream, I’m scared…”

Dream froze at that, taking off his mask to stare at him. Their friendship wasn’t a very emotional one. They were each other’s closest confidant, but neither was a fan of emotions. When Dream showed up at Punz’ house one night, scared and shaking, he didn’t have to say what had happened. When Punz had a panic attack, triggered by Ghostbar complimenting his archery, Dream didn’t ask for an explanation. Punz admitting he was scared meant so much more than him just being scared. This was big.

“Ok. Fuck, alright, yeah. Do you… what do you remember?”

Punz sighed, sitting on the top step. The Admin hesitated, sitting beside him. “I… I remember that I hung out with Ponk yesterday morning. He had to do something though, so I went home. Then I… I think Bad messaged me, he wanted my help with the egg. Then… I don’t remember. Do you think… do you think it has something to do with the egg?”

Dream paused, leaning down to fiddle with his shoelaces, a thoughtful look on his face. “No. You’ve never had memory issues with it before. When it… takes over, you can remember everything afterwards right? Which means…” He went quiet, shaking his head. “Fuck, this is bad.”

“What? What is it?”

Dream looked at him, eyes dark and thoughtful. Punz felt a shiver run down his back as the near-godly being stared at him.

“Punz, I’m going to show you something, but you can’t tell anyone. Ok?”

Punz hesitated, before nodding. “Ok.”

Dream held up his hands and a door appeared, a rectangle of darkness hovering over the stairway. He stood, nodding at the pale man, and stepped in, leaving Punz to scramble after him.

The air inside the void of the server code was cold, and seemed to hum with some unknown energy. Punz felt his hair stand up on his neck as the Admin led him deeper and deeper in, away from the door.

Finally, they stopped, and Dream opened a screen, before throwing up his hands, and suddenly, Punz could see the code of the universe. The numbers and letters spread through the air, white text on black void, scrolling so quickly he felt his head spin. He could read one of the columns, he found, if he focused, freezing when he realised what they said. 

**_TCB: I’m so sorry, you deserve better._ **

**_ASD: I don’t want to hurt them._ **

**_IFY: Shut the fuck up, that doesn’t matter._ **

**_DBP: Is this what I think it is?!_ **

“Are these…”

Dream nodded at him, barely glancing at the text. “Every conversation happening in the SMP.”

Punz felt the blood drain from his face. “So you can just… listen in on people?! You can see what they’re saying.”

Dream’s face didn’t change. “Yeah, I can, but I don’t. Come on Punz, even I’m not that much of an asshole.”

He paused, looking back at the text, seeing one last message  **_PPD: Dude, stop, please!_ ** before turning away. Dream was staring at the text carefully, before throwing out one of his hands, and the whole thing froze, then he dragged his hands apart, and three specific lines became readable.

**_SHS HAS ADDED CODE: 9875_ **

**_SHS HAS LOCKED CODE: 9875_ **

**_SHS HAS PLACED TERMINATION DATE: 9/27/2175_ **

Punz glanced at Dream, warily. “Termination date?”

Dream nodded, before raising his hands again, typing something into the air, and more text appeared. 

**_DXD HAS REMOVED TERMINATION DATE_ **

**_SHS HAS PLACED TERMINATION DATE: 9/27/2175_ **

“I can't get rid of it. In three weeks, this whole server will be deleted, and everyone inside with it.”

Punz paused, staring at him. “What?”

“Yeah,” Dream let the text go back to scrolling, looking around. “Callahan’s seen it, I know he has, the problem is, he’s not doing anything. No, that’s not true, he is doing something, but he’s doing it behind my back.”

“He doesn’t trust you?”

“No one does.”

“I do.”

Dream looked at him, then, searching his face for any signs of dishonesty. “Hmmm.”

Punz looked at the text. “Do you… do you know what he’s doing?”

“He’s added some people to the server.”

Punz frowned. “How? That shouldn’t be possible.”

Dream stayed silent, and the shorter man turned to look at him. He was wearing his mask now, the white porcelain shining in the darkness. Punz knew Dream wasn’t telling him everything. He knew that, yet he wanted to know more. He always wanted more.

Dream always told him his greatest flaw was his greed.

“Sorry.” He murmured, although he wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for.

Dream nodded sharply. “Yeah, you should be. Stop digging around for answers, Punz, you don’t really want to know.”

He did. He really really did, but he just nodded. “Do you know who did it?”

“Yeah, I think so. The problem is, I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“Any way I could help?”

“... I’ll let you know. Ah, here we go.” Dream enlarged another stream of words. 

**_PNZ HAS SLAIN MGP_ **

**_MGP HAS REACHED THE GOAL POSTMORTAL_ **

“Who is MGP?”

Dream shook his head. “Don’t know. I know everyone’s titles, this one’s not familiar. Must be one of Callahan’s goons. Good on you for killing them, shame they came back.”

“What?”

“They’re pests, Punz. Gotta exterminate them.”

Punz blinked. “They’re people, Dream.”

Dream scoffed at that. “You’ve gone soft.”

Punz stared at him as he shrunk the text down again, letting the words go back to their scrolling, and turned to leave.

“You coming, Punzy?”

He did, following behind the man at a difference, trying not to shudder as Dream hung back a bit to sling and arm over his shoulder. Something was wrong here. Something was so incredibly wrong.

As he passed by the prison, he paused. He really could’ve sworn there was a mine somewhere around here…

He walked over to the area he remembered it being, but it was just smooth grass. He ran his hand over the dirt, but there was no sign that anything had ever been there.

Oh well, he thought, turning to leave. The server was changing fast.

Things were changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ponk chapter next xoxox
> 
> also check out my art for this shitty story, i'll be posting references soon:  
> https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/welcome+to+the+server+au?sort=recent


	7. in which ponk becomes plot important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> awkward by FIDLAR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll change the chapter title later, probably.
> 
> anyway, shoutout to ponk for being the most hated person on the server <3

Ponk was a nice guy.

Ok, no, that’s not quite true. He was no BadBoyHalo, no Niki, and he definitely wasn’t anywhere as nice as Sam. Hell, he probably wasn’t even on the same level as Eret, and that motherfucker betrayed her country! But he was somewhat nice, in his own opinion.

He wouldn’t go out of his way to collect blackmail on someone if they didn’t deserve it.

Prime, this was a terrible idea.    
  
In his defense, Ant was a terrible person. No, that wasn’t exactly true, either. Ant helped Eret with his Pride Castle, and helped Bad put up his statues, and helped a lot of people in a lot of ways, but, he also was a cat, and cats were fucking awful. 

Ponk checked his comms tablet one last time. There was a message from Purpled, from a few hours ago, saying he was going mining, and asking if he wanted to come with. He didn’t respond now, the kid was long gone. There was also a message from George, asking if he had any obsidian. This one was more recent, and he typed back  **_yeah, but you can’t have it_ ** and kept walking.

He was almost at Ant's house now. He wasn’t even sure what he planned on doing when he got there. Hold Ant at sword point and tell him he knew he was helping Bad with the egg? That wasn’t even a secret, pretty much everyone knew it. He tugged his orange and black ski mask up, covering more of his nose, scowling in discomfort as the cold rain slipped down his back. Being a blaze, his body heat was high enough that the rain turned to steam as soon as it touched his skin, but it was still incredibly uncomfortable.

This was such a bad idea.

He got to Ant’s house, raising his fist to knock on the door, but a shout rang out from inside. He froze. What the fuck was going on in there? He glanced through a window, just in time to see a red haired man reach for the door knob. 

Immediately, he tossed himself into the bushes beside the porch, like something from a cartoon. It didn’t work as well as he planned. He crushed the bush completely, and then had to flounder about, ruining the poor bush even more as he tried to roll off it. The leaves and branches tore at his hoodie, but finally, he managed to get down, almost running away before he paused.

The red haired man hadn’t come out.    
  


He hesitated, before moving back to the window. Red guy and Ant were gone, leaving an empty room. He hesitated, before walking around the house, toward the back. Finally, he heard quiet voices drift through a slightly open window, and he hesitated, before moving closer.

“-you don’t remember, but I’m doing my best. I’m going to get everyone out of this server, I swear. I don’t know how, but I’ll save everyone.”

Ponk froze. Get people out of the server? How was that even possible?! He wasn’t sure who the red haired man was, or what he was doing, but he knew one thing. This was so much worse than he’d originally thought.

He went home, wrung out his mask and hoodie and layed in bed for a while, staring at the ceiling in the dark. He wasn’t used to serious things. Obviously, huge things happened all the time, L’Manburg getting blown up, the egg possessing people, nearly everything that happened on this hell of a server, but none of them had really affected him directly, not since the first disc war. He didn’t know what to do, now. If he didn’t tell anyone, would he regret it? Would it be better to just disconnect himself from the situation? 

He reached for his pants, which lay crumpled on the ground, pulling out his comms unit. There was one new message, from George, a simple  **_come on man, i thought we were friends :(_ ** he hesitated, before typing in a message, before rereading and deleting it.

He sighed. What was he supposed to do, be an accomplice, or risk something bad happening? Was he supposed to confront Ant about this? Did it really even matter? What was he even thinking? Was he a bad guy for having to think about this? What was wrong with him?

He tossed the tablet to the floor, wincing at the clatter. This wasn’t good. 

He drifted off to a restless sleep after another hour or so, dreams of cats and fire drifting in his head.

  
  
  
  
  


Ponk woke to knocking at his door. He sat up quickly, blinking at the wall as his mind slowly remembered what was going on, what had happened. Finally, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, almost immediately face planting as his feet caught on the carpet. He paused, catching his balance, before walking to the door.

George stood outside, leaning on the doorframe. He glanced up when the door opened, eyes going wide behind his goggles, and he quickly turned away. “Ponk, why aren’t you wearing pants?”

Ponk hesitated, looking down, and then sighed. “I don’t know. What do you want?”

George huffed, eyes fixed firmly on the ground. “I really need obsidian, and I know you have it.”

Ponk shrugged. “Yeah, but I’m not giving it to you, mate.”

“What?” George looked at him then, pouting a bit. “Why not?”

“You always manage to waste it somehow. Go ask Sam.”

George opened his mouth to protest, but then paused, shaking his head and turning to leave. Ponk started to shut the door, but paused.

“Ey, Georgie?”

George stopped, turning to him, raising an eyebrow. “What,  _ Ponky _ ?”

“Hey, you know only Sam can call me that,” Ponk hesitated, forming his question in his head. “If I… knew something- like if I learned someone was going to do something bad, what should I do?”

George froze, blinking at him. “Prime above, Ponk, what happened?!”

Ponk put his hands up, raising his shoulders. “Nothing yet, and it’s… It’s probably not too bad, but… what do I do, man?”

George looked at him, pushing his goggles up onto the top of his head as his eyes stared into the blaze. “I think… try to stop them? Are they dangerous?”

He hesitated. “No, not really. I could probably beat them in a fight.”

“Ok then. Stop them. Do you… do you need help?”

Ponk shook his head. “No, I’m good. Bye George.”

He shut the door, leaning against it with a sigh. This wasn’t good. He still didn’t know what to do, but… George was right.

He had to stop them.

He pulled on his pants from last night, shoving the comms tab in his pocket. He hesitated, before grabbing a regen potion and a strength potion and carefully looping them into his belt. He pulled on his mask, hiding his face as best as he could.

It wasn’t like he had a reason to wear the mask, pretty much everyone had seen his face at this point, but it was nice, having at least a little bit of cloth between him and the world, a tiny bit of something hiding his expressions, hiding his feelings. 

Not that it really mattered, he had a tendency to say exactly what he was thinking the second he thought it.

Ponk was not a very mysterious guy, nor was he the wisest, but that didn’t stop him.

He brought his sword, and his crossbow, and started out. He nibbled at an apple as he walked, listening to the SMP come to life around him. 

He saw Punz and Sam walking along, Punz wearing a light blue hoodie that Ponk was pretty sure was one of George’s, one that he’d left at Sam’s a while back. The centaur noticed and nodded at him, and he nodded back, but Punz didn’t even glance in his direction.

He saw Karl and Quackity hanging out, and Karl smiled at Ponk, waving happily at the blaze, and he waved back, flipping off Quackity when the shapeshifter stuck out his tongue.

It was a nice day, all things considered, but he felt significantly less nice by the time he reached Ant’s house. No, now he was nervous. He took a moment to breathe, a nice, fortifying lungfull of cool air, and then he marched up the front steps and raised his fist to knock.

Before he got the chance, though, the red haired man flung open the door and they both froze.

Ant peered over the red man’s shoulder, scowling when he saw Ponk. “What the hell are you doing here.”

Ponk gulped a bit, putting down his fist, and stepping back, trying to puff up his chest and look taller. “I heard what you said last night, about kidnapping everyone, and I’m here to stop you.”

Ant and Red Haired Guy looked at each other, mystified, before Red Hair Guy’s face lit up and he started laughing. “What the fuck? No, we’re not going to kidnap everyone, I’m going to evacuate everyone.”

Ponk froze, staring at him. Ant started to laugh too, now, smiling as he shook his head. Red Hair Guy sighed, still grinning, and leaned against the doorframe, looking down at him in amusement. Ponk felt heat creep up his neck, embarrassment choking up his throat, but he crossed his arms, scowling.

“Oi, shut up. What’re you planning on evacuatin’ from? Or… y’know.”

Ant chuckled at that, turning to go inside, and Red Hair Guy smirked at him, over his shoulder, but his face became more serious after that, turning back to the blaze and tilting his head. “I’m not sure I’m allowed to tell you.”

“What? Oh, come onnn. Please?!” Ponk whined, pouting, before remembering he was supposed to be intimidating and standing up straight again.

The guy tilted his head at him, green eyes boring into him. “What’s your name?”

“Ponk. DropsByPonk, technically, but people just call me Ponk, for, like, simplicity’s sake?”

The man grinned. “Yeah, makes sense. I’m Velvet. Would you like to come in?”

Somewhere behind him, Ant whined, but Ponk nodded immediately. He wanted nothing more than to get to the bottom of this, and central heating didn’t hurt.

It wasn’t until Velvet shut the door behind him that he realised how easy it would be for them to murder him. He froze up, eye going wide, his hand slowly drifting to his sword. Velvet just rolled his eyes, picking up a plate of french toast that was sitting on the table and offering it to him. He hesitated, before shaking his head. 

Velvet shrugged, putting it back down and leaning against the table. “So, the server’s going to be deleted in a couple weeks.”

Ponk froze. “What?!”

“Yeah.” Ant huffed. “Apparently, there’s somewhere else out there, some sort of hub. Velvet and a couple of his friends illegally snuck in and now Velvet here wants to take me back to the ‘hub’. I said no, so he spent the entirety of breakfast explaining the fact that there’s some sort of bug, and apparently, whoever set it, is a fucking asshole, who would probably think it’s funny to watch us all fucking die.”

He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at Ponk, who stepped back. “Ay, bruh, you can’t really think it’s me, can you? I don’t know anything about coding, man.”

Velvet threw a look at Ant then, leaning forward to look Ponk in the eyes. “I believe you, but we need to know if you can think of anyone who might be the hacker.”

Ponk hesitated. “Sam’s a pretty good coder, I think he might be a bit of an Admin, somehow,” Seeing the look on the redhead’s face, he shook his head quickly. “But he would never. He’s a good man, that Sam. He would never…”

Velvet huffed. “So who would?”

Ponk paused, eyes drifting over to Ant, who glared back. “I think… Fundy might?”

Ant opened his mouth quickly to defend his friend, but then he stilled. “Oh… oh shit.”

Velvet looked between them, frowning a bit. “Who? What?”

“The code was made… during the elections, right?” Ant’s voice was quieter as he started pacing, fingers knitting together. “That was when he started to lose it. Maybe… He’s the best coder on the server, if anyone could do it, it’d be him… And he and Dream were together, so he probably had access to the core…”

Ponk nodded at that. “Plus, he keeps disappearing. Like, for months at a time.”

“Could be him going back to the hub,” Velvet leaned forward, frowning a bit as he thought. “Yeah, it really really sounds like this Fundy guy is responsible…”

“Mmmm….” Ant squeezed his eyes shut, grinding the heel of his hands into his face. “I don’t like this…”

Ponk paused, reaching out for Ant, to comfort him or something, but his hand froze inches away, before dropping to his side. He didn’t like Ant, he reminded himself, they didn’t get along.

Then, Velvet pulled out his comms tablet and Ponk remembered this guy wasn’t supposed to be here. “Uh, are you sure sending messages won’t get you caught?”

Velvet waved his hand. “Nah, it’ll be ok. It’s set to party mode only, no one else can see this.”

Ponk nodded like he knew what party mode meant, watching the man type. It was quiet for a bit longer before he huffed.

“Ok. Kristen found her husband, but their kids are both missing. Boffy and Deo found their friend, they’re all hiding in a cave outside of town. The Captain found his kid, and… the other three aren’t responding.”

Ant nodded solemnly, and Ponk blinked. “Who? What?”

“Kristen is Phil’s wife, and Tommy and Wilbur’s mom, Boffy and Deo are Tommy’s friends, the Captain is Tubbo’s dad, and there’s three others; Finn and Mega, who are Skeppy and Bad’s friends, and 80, who is Purpled’s big brother.” Ant calmly said, as if this wasn’t incredibly overwhelming information. 

“Wait, hold up, Tubbo has a dad? And Tommy has a mum?!” Ponk blinked at him, trying to gauge whether or not he was joking or not, but he didn’t bat an eye, just nodding calmly. “Oh. Oh, prime.”

He huffed, sliding down the door until he sat at the bottom, staring off into space. It was only just now really occurring to him how likely it was that he was going to die. He’d died before, but that had been different. That was one death. A server crash meant so much more. Plus, they were saying there was more out there. More… he couldn’t even imagine a world outside of the Dream SMP. What was it like. Would he ever even get to see it?

“Ponk?” Ant’s voice was soft.

He looked up at the cat. “I don’t want to die, Ant. I… I’m too young, I’m only 20, I’m not even… I can’t even drink yet, man.”

Ant hesitated, before sitting beside him. Velvet sat on his other side, and they all just stayed there for a bit, in silence, before he stood up, adjusting his mask and pulling out his comms tablet.

“What’re… what’re you doing?” Velvet sounded worried.

“I’m messaging Sam.”

“You can’t tell him.”

“...Yeah, I know, but… I just… I gotta tell him I care about him, before we all die.”

Ant hesitated, before standing. “Ok. Yeah, go ahead.”

**_Ponk: Hey sam? You there?_ **

**_awesamdude: Hi Ponk!! What’s up?_ **

**_Ponk: Just wanted to say i love you man._ **

**_Ponk: Take care of yourself, aight?_ **

**_awesamdude: Of course! I love you too, Ponk :)_ **

**_awesamdude: Have you seen Purpled, though? He was going to help me with my grind and never showed up this morning._ **

Ponk hesitated, looking up at the other two men who were whispering quietly to each other in the corner. “Uh… Ant? Velvet?”

Velvet turned, raising an eyebrow. 

“You mentioned Purpled’s brother was one of the ones missing?”

Velvet nodded. “Yeah, 80. Smart guy, I’m not sure why he isn’t responding.”

**_Ponk: I have an idea i can check._ **

**_awesamdude: Aw, thank you!! Let me know if you find him, please!! :D_ **

“Come on, we gotta get to the mines.”

  
  
  
  
  


The area around the prison was silent, the waves on the beach a quiet whisper in the noontime stillness. The small group went straight to the mine entrance- or rather, where the mine should’ve been.

Ant froze, kneeling to run his hand over the grass. “What the fuck…” 

Ponk looked around, half expecting to see the opening elsewhere, maybe he’d been wrong? But there was nothing.

Velvet paused, scowling darkly. “Not seeing a mine anywhere…”

“Yeah, no shit!” Ponk cried, digging into the ground a bit with his sword, scowling when no secret tunnel was uncovered. “How the fuck is this even possible?”

Ant hesitated, before starting to walk, down the hill, towards town. Ponk frowned, watching as he wandered into the woods, before he and Velvet followed.

“There’s a vent over here, to let in oxygen in case of a cave in… Here.” Ant knelt, putting his face near the vent. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

Silence. Ant sat up, frowning. Ponk opened his mouth to speak, but then…

“Hello?”

They froze, staring at each other, before Ponk dropped to his knees beside the cat. “Purpled? Oh my prime, mate, how long have you been down there?!”

Purpled’s voice laughed. “All night, man! Can you… can you get us out? We can’t find the exit.”

Velvet leaned down. “Neither can we. It might be a cave in?”

“Who was that?”

Suddenly, a new voice, deep and smooth, chimed in. “Velvet, if I die down here, I’m going to fucking haunt you.”

Velvet grinned. “Hey 80. We’ll get you out, ok? Is anyone else down there?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m here too.”

“Sapnap!” Ant grinned. “Ok, we’ll get you out.”

“Fuck yeah, thanks man.”

Ponk backed away from the hole, staring at Ant and Velvet. “What’re we going to do?” He whispered.

Suddenly, 80’s voice came back. “Get the Captain, he’ll know what to do.”

“Where is he?” Velvet called back.

“His kid’s house, probably?”

“Tubbo.” Ant stood. “We’ll be back!”

And he was gone, leaving the other two to run after him. 

Ponk tried to ignore the way the cat’s eyes glimmered a dark purple, or the way the leaves above them rustled a bit heavily as if something hid in them, or the way Sapnap tried to shout something to them, just as they got out of hearing range. 

It was alright. Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look, sam and ponk just have such a nice friendship and i love them xoxo


	8. puppets for a cruel master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> not allowed by tv girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long, i've been speedrunning mental illness <3
> 
> shoutout to walk_away for stalking me, it's an absolute honor

Mega woke up late the next day with a scream and a gasp.

It wasn’t a real scream, his vocal chords couldn’t manage that, but it was loud enough to get Finn to come running back inside, and for Ruby to pull out a couple potions and walk over, kneeling beside the bed.

Finn rushed in to see him trying to pour them down Mega’s throat, and he panicked, body slamming Ruby out of the way.

Ruby collapsed, the bottle shattering on the tile. The man watched the potion soak into the dirt floor, annoyance biting at him, but when he looked up at Finn, he felt that fade, back to the familiar numbness.

Finn was glaring at him, fists clenched.

“That was a health potion.”

And now he was gaping, staring between him and the puddle on the floor, eyes focusing. “Oh… Oh, shit, I’m sorry, Ruby, I-”

Ruby waved him, standing up. He knew that Finn didn’t trust him, the only reason he hadn’t tried to take Mega and run was because he couldn’t risk the younger man getting even more injured.

When they left, they weren’t taking Ruby and Bad.

They were going to leave them to die.

Like how Skeppy and Bad died, long before they had arrived.

Ruby understood. He wasn’t Skeppy, and he couldn’t be trusted. He was a stranger, in their friend’s body. He could never replace Skeppy. That was alright. 

He wasn’t scared of death. It was a formality more than anything. He was dead now, he just had enough in him to keep moving.

A meat puppet.

He wondered if he was rotten, inside.

Mega was heaving for breath now, hands clawing at the vines that circled his throat, and Finn sat beside him, hugging the smaller boy tightly. The man paused, hesitated, then leaned into it, still dragging lungful after lungful into his damaged throat.

Ruby went to his chest, pulling out another potion, and handing it to the boy. He gratefully took it, downing it in two desperate gulps. He shuddered a bit, and Ruby saw Finn shift a bit, trying to see Mega’s face.

After a minute, Mega looked up. The vines trembled as he tried to speak, but nothing came out. He paused, before raising his hands, shakily signing. 

‘What happened?’

Ruby’s voice was deafening in the silence. “You’ve been planted. Made anew. How are you feeling?”

‘Awful,’ Mega’s hands drifted to his throat, feeling the vines, and he frowned. ‘What is this?’

“The crimson. It has taken you. They probably won’t hurt you, but it’s best not to try and remove them. It may damage your windpipe.”

“... Mega?”

Mega looked up at Finn, blinking. ‘Yes?’

“Are you… still you?”

The boy paused, looking at his hands. His eyes were red, bloodshot, and his birthmark had gone a deep crimson, the color of the vines. ‘I don’t know. I think so.’ He looked up at Finn, eyes pleading. ‘Am I?’

Finn paused. “Yeah, yeah, you’re still Mega.”

He wasn’t. He wasn’t and they both knew it. He was too quiet, no anger in his body. That might be the shock, but… The egg took your core, the thing that made you who you are, and Mega’s core was his anger.

They ate dinner in silence, all of them lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Mega sighed quietly, raising his hands a bit.

‘Are we leaving tonight? I want to get out.’

Ruby looked at Finn. They hadn’t explained the plan to him yet. How could they? He’d been through so much, how could they just tell him it was all in vain, he and Finn would have to leave alone.

Finn paused, brushing his hair back, and letting out a sigh. “Mega… Yeah. We can leave tonight.”

Mega frowned at the reaction, eyes drifting between them. ‘What? What’s wrong.’

“I’m not going with you guys.” Ruby tried to keep his voice soft, sympathetic, gentle. “Bad and I will stay here, at least until the crash.”

Mega froze, his face somehow becoming more pale. Finn flinched at the blunt delivery, and turned to their friend, but Mega was already moving, shaking hands moving so jerkily that Ruby almost couldn’t understand it.

‘No. No, you’re coming with us. We’re going to help you. We’re going to save you. It’s going to be okay, and you’re going to be okay, we’re going to be fine. We won’t leave you here. I won’t.”

Ruby hesitated, trying to think of something to say, anything that could convince the kid to calm down, and finally, he just grabbed the boy’s hands. Instead of fighting back like he somehow knew the boy should, he just stopped.

“Mega, I’m not Skeppy. My Bad isn’t your Bad. We don’t know if the vines will spread. We’re trying to protect the hub here. This is about the greater good.”

At that, the boy wrenched his hands away. ‘Then I shouldn’t be going back. I’ll stay here, with you. I won’t leave without you.’

Finn stepped in then. “Mega, you don’t have a choice. We can control one vine, it’s when more get added to the mix that things get bad. Besides, I’m not sure if I can look Zelk in the eye and tell him I not only didn’t save Bad or Skeppy, I also abandoned you.”

Mega hesitated at that, before one hand moved up to his chest, moving it in a slow, gentle circle. ‘Please.’

Ruby shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

He was. He was really really sorry.

Mega shook his head, slumping back against the wall, all the fight leaving his body. He looked so tired now. Ruby wondered if he really was the same 17 year old boy inside, or if there was more. A war of daisies and blood vines in his chest, the puppeteers jousting for control.

Ruby wasn’t powerful. As the first planted, he was more of a test than anything, the egg seeing how much it could do. All it did was strip his identity, give him some knowledge of the way of the world, and leave him gasping on the pavement. He still had enough agency to think on his own, to denounce the vines, to turn from the egg.

Bad was next, he was more powerful. He had the ability to plant people, and the ability to get in their heads. He didn’t talk to Ruby anymore, but Ruby still Understood him. Maybe it was the fact that they were soulmates, once, before. Maybe it was the fact that the same thing crawled through their veins. 

Skeppy missed Bad. Ruby did not.

Mega was the last. He was supposed to be the messiah. The best planted yet. He was supposed to be the egg’s perfect puppet. Was he? Or was he still the same kid who drew on his sneakers and pierced his own nose with a safety pin and called Skeppy ‘boss’.

Ruby remembered him, sometimes. Not everything, but sometimes, a glimpse of something will peek into his brain, the sound of someone jimmying his window open, because they lost the key, the sound of someone sneezing because they got the cold, the feeling of arms looping around his neck and a face burrowing into his shoulder, because they stayed up too late and needed to be carried.

He couldn’t remember Mega. But he could remember the concept of Mega.

The concept of a little brother.

Was he lost now? Gone to the egg?

Was he a puppet too?

Finn gave up on conversation. Mega wasn’t responding, and Ruby wasn’t a fan of speaking when it wasn’t necessary. The three just sat in dejected silence, before Ruby finally said something, quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Finn glanced at him, raising an eyebrow, prompting him on. Mega didn’t move. “You guys came to rescue me and Bad, and you didn’t just fail…” He looked at Mega, at the noose of thorns winding around his neck. “I’m sorry.”

Finn huffed, something resembling a laugh. “Yeah, you should be.”

Ruby paused, before nodding and standing up, preparing to leave, but Mega’s hand snapped out, grabbing his jeans, bloodshot eyes peering up at him pleadingly. ‘Stay. Please.’ 

Ruby glanced between him and Finn, before sitting down. The other man was glaring at them. Ruby remembered what he’d said, earlier.

_ ‘I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.’ _

Ruby didn’t fear death. He really, truly didn’t. But he did fear the man sitting across from him, brown hair tied in a knot at the back of his head, his icy blue eyes colder than anything he’d ever seen.

_ A glimpse of a memory came back then. Two teens sparring, Finn whirling around, a knife in either hand. The girl he was up against held her own, but eventually, she slipped, and he pressed a knife to her throat.  _

_ “Five to one, Riza!” He crowed, tossing his hair over his shoulder. _

_ Riza pouted, before noticing their onlookers. “Skep, Harv! Give me a hand!” _

_ The boy beside him laughed. “I don’t think so, we’re not that dumb.” _

_ Finn winked at them, and Skeppy winked back, a feeling of absolute glee spreading through his chest. _

_ Riza- no, Mariza- stood, rolling her eyes at the boys, but she grinned. “Okay, dick, let’s go.” _

_ Finn chuckled, raising his knives, and they were at it again. _

Ruby blinked. Neither of the others seemed to have noticed his mental absence. He shivered a bit.

He didn’t like remembering things. Especially not when they meant nothing, when they couldn’t mean anything.

It didn’t matter if he remembered Harvey, or Mariza, he was never going to see them again. 

He stood then, moving to the chest, sorting through it absentmindedly. He could feel the other two staring at him, but he didn’t care. He needed something to do with his hands.   
  
His mind was still working, his memories still scrambling, trying to pull up more.

It was odd, seeing a moment in time, and knowing everything about it, yet nothing at the same time. He remembered Mariza, Meowriza, Finn’s friend, who fist-fought men twice her size. He remembered Harvey, TapL, his friend, who spent hours trying to figure out ways to do the least work possible. He remembered them, but he couldn’t remember them.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to find Mega, gazing down at him. His eyes looked soft, pitiful, sympathetic, and Ruby wrenched away, staring back down at the chest, but Mega didn’t leave, simply leaning back against the wall beside the chest, staring carefully at his friend’s face. 

He was too calm. Ruby didn’t like the way his eyes shone, with a sort of wisdom that wasn’t there before.

Finn had moved too, sitting on the bed, his head leaning against the wall, watching them with suspicious eyes.

Ruby knew his face didn’t betray any emotion. It was a blank mask, as ever. Usually, that reflected the inside, but…

He was feeling things. He felt things and he didn’t like it.

  
  
  
  
  


Bad felt horrible.

He felt so incredibly awful about what he did to Mega, what he did to Finn.

He knew it was bad, he knew he had hurt them. He wanted so desperately to run after them, hug them, apologize, tell them he remembered them, tell them he knew what was going on, who was responsible, but-

**_Shh, my child. It will be okay._ **

He froze, lifting his head from his arms.

**_Trust me, I will never lead you astray._ **

“They’re my friends…” He muttered, gazing at the black shell of the egg, swathed in the red vines, leaves and flowers. He was calmer now, but his heart still ached a bit.

**_No. I am your friend. I will keep you safe. I will keep Zak safe. You want Zak to be safe, don’t you?_ **

He hesitated. “Skeppy…”

**_Yes. Skeppy. I will help Skeppy._ **

…

**_Halo, my angel. Do you trust me?_ **

“Yes.”

**_I did what I had to, to keep you safe. They were liars, and cheats. They were using you._ **

“They were my friends…”

**_No. They were nothing. I’m your friend._ **

“You’re my friend.”

**_Yes. Get up my child._ **

He stood, stepping closer to the egg, gently placing his hand on it’s side, feeling it pulse.

**_Now. Who are you?_ **

“Halo, champion of the Crimson.”

**_Who do the liars say you are?_ **

“... Bad, their friend.”

**_And how does Skeppy see you?_ **

“...”

**_Halo._ **

“...His soulmate…”

**_And you are not._ **

“... I am…”

A spike of heat ran up his arm, and he hissed, but he didn’t pull back.

**_And you are not._ **

“...And I am not…”

**_Good. Now, go forth, my child, my champion. I require food._ **

Halo stepped back, gripping his sword tightly, his claws grazing the egg one last time, before he turned.

The egg was hungry, and he knew exactly where to find food.

He started down the little tunnel to Skeppy’s house, following the fresh scent of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mariza pog :)


	9. safety and truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> literally that one part of that kanye song with the "and nothing hurts anymore i feel kinda free/ we're still the kids we used to be"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmm this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, it's mostly a filler i made as an excuse to write boffy more. 
> 
> also, please read the notes on this one, they're kinda important!!!

Tommy must’ve dozed off at some point, because when he opened his eyes, the cave was empty, no sign of the two strange boys anywhere.

His heart lurched, his throat burning with the effort of holding back tears. He should’ve expected this. Boffy had said he wasn’t going to leave him, but that was a lie, of course it was a lie. There was no reason for Boffy to stick around, no reason for him to pretend to care.

Unless there was?

Unless he had some sort of motive, or some sick pleasure that he got out of watching people suffer? He’d mentioned that morning that he heard voices that cried for blood, like Techno did. He’d also mentioned he killed things for fun.

What if he really was doing this for no reason? Dangling hope in front of Tommy, then yanking it away? 

Deo had seemed nice- at least, he seemed sympathetic, but… could he really be trusted either? His eyes, red and orange, the color of lava, were so sharp, so calculating. As he listened to Tommy, his face grew dark. Tommy hadn’t understood it at the time, but now he did.

He’d angered the man, somehow.

And now he was paying for it. 

He curled up on the ground, covering his head, trying to choke down the sobs that welled in his chest. His whole body was shaking now. 

He was alone. Wasn’t he always? Tubbo hated him, Techno hated him, Phil hated him, Niki hated him, they all hated him, and it was all his fault.

He did nothing but screw things up.

A hand touched his arm, and he threw himself upwards, back, away from the man.

Dream.    
  
The man’s white mask gleamed in the dim light of the cave, the smile crookedly cutting across it. 

“Tommy, what’s wrong?” He sounded so mocking, so condescending, and Tommy tried to back up, but there was nothing but stone at his back.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me, please, I’m sorry.”

Dream paused, tilting his head. Tommy felt bile rise in his throat as the man straightened up, glancing toward the mouth of the cave. No one was coming, no one was around. The smell of blood and ash filled his nose, as he pressed himself back, trying to look unassuming, but Dream didn’t hesitate, crouching down in front of him and leaning closer.

“No, no, no, please, Dream, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

And then he reached up, and took off his mask.

His face was wrong.

Dream’s face was stunning, perfect jawline, high cheekbones, a light spattering of freckles on his nose, shining green eyes. He was beautiful, and he used it to his advantage, wooing George, and Fundy, and Sapnap. 

This wasn’t him.

This man’s face was thin, and not in a healthy way. His dull black eyes were sunken, and rimmed in red, it just looked like he hadn’t slept in ages. His cheeks were patchy, blotches of red on pale white skin. His beard was thin and patchy, his nose was flat and wide, and his lips were chapped and bleeding. More noticeable than all of that, though, were the scars. They ran down his face, a swollen dark red that seemed almost black. They weren’t recent, but some part of Tommy recognized the color.  _ Salamanders _ , he thought dimly, but he wasn’t even sure what that meant. Dream was beautiful, in an unhuman way. This man- no, boy- looked moments from death.

The man was speaking now, and his voice was wrong too. It was raspy in a way Dream’s wasn’t, hoarse and scratchy, instead of smooth and sweet. He smelled different too, acrid and metallic and bitter and sharp, like the smell of rotting meat and death.

Boffy?

“Tommy, I need you to breathe, ok?”

Tommy nodded, desperately. He hadn’t even realised he wasn’t breathing right, but now he couldn’t think of anything but breathing. If Boffy killed him, he wouldn’t have a chance to apologize to Tubbo, he thought, and with that, he dragged in a lungful of air.

His heart soared when the man nodded approvingly. Good, he was doing this right, at least. He was happy with him, he wasn’t going to die.    
  
“Ok, ok you’re doing good. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you, that’s on me. I’m not going to hurt you, alright?”

Tommy was still shaking like a leaf, but he shook his head, gasping for breath. “N-Not your fault, it was me, it’s always me, I-” Boffy scowled, and his mouth snapped shut. “I’m sorry.”

Boffy was still eyeing him, carefully, almost sadly. “What did they do to you?”

Tommy felt his heart sink, and he leaned back again, trying to get away, but the stone was unyielding, pressing into his back. Boffy stood, and his arms moved to cover his head, but instead the boy turned, moving toward the fire, leaving him room to breathe.

It took a while, but Tommy finally stopped trembling, stopped smelling the ocean, stopped hearing Dream’s voice. He was in the cave, with Boffy. They weren’t going to hurt him.

Right?

Boffy had taken off his hoodie at some point, and now he was dressed in a simple white tee, his arms exposed to the cool air. They were criss-crossed with scars, some from burns, others from claws, or blades. One, near his wrist, was very obviously a bite mark, and it looked odd, like it’d healed wrong.

“Sorry…” He murmured, moving slowly towards the other boy, who looked up.

“For fuck’s sake, Tommy, stop apologizing.”

“Sorry,” His eyes went wide. “Shit, I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry-”

“Tommy!”

He flinched back a bit, eyes squeezing shut. He’d really gone and fucked it up, hadn’t he.

“Fuck. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout,” Boffy’s voice was quiet now, reassuring. “It’s ok, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

Tommy hesitated. “I pissed you off.”

Boffy huffed a laugh at that. “Tommy, everything pisses me off. People looking at me pisses me off, people breathing too loud pisses me off. Hell, I piss myself off. You’re fine, Tommy. You’re okay.”

Tommy paused. “You’re not… you’re not going to kill me?”

“No,” the boy turned to stare into the fire, dark eyes somehow ice cold despite the warmth of his voice. “No, I’m not going to kill you.”

They sat there for a bit longer before Boffy spoke again. “You called me Dream. You thought I was him.”

Tommy’s eyes widened, and he gulped. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry. It’s the mask, it’s really similar to his…”

Boffy glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, scowling a bit. “Do you want me to leave it off?”

“No, no, I don’t- you can wear it if you want, I don’t want to tell you what to do-”

“Shut up. I won’t wear it. Whatever he did to you… It was obviously really fucked up. I don’t want you to think of that when you look at me.”

Tommy hesitated. Boffy’s tone hadn't changed, it was still sharp and cold, but now… it sounded softer. Like he was apologizing for something, but Tommy didn’t know what it was he was apologizing for.

“Okay…” His voice was quiet, almost too quiet. “Please don’t leave me…”

“I won’t. I told you, I’m sticking around, and you aren’t getting rid of me.”

Deo stumbled in a couple hours later, hauling a cow carcass behind him. Boffy helped him chop it up and cook it, and they ate it in silence.

Boffy didn’t put his mask back on, although he kept glancing toward it, very obviously wanting to hide his face, but he didn’t.

After a moment, he pulled out his comms tablet and hesitated. “Hey, Deo, have you been checking your tab?”

The older man shook his head, frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“80 and his brother are stuck in a mine, or something. Velvet and his boyfriend are going to get the captain to help, but…I don’t know, it’s hard to understand, Velvet’s not really a coherent typer.”

Tommy pulled out his own tablet. There wasn’t anything there, other than a message from Quackity, asking if anyone had seen Sam, and a DM from Sapnap asking if he had any cobblestone to spare.

“We have our own private group.” Boffy explained, before typing something in. “I think I can add you, hang on…”

**_TommyInnit has joined_ **

There was a pause before a sudden rush of messages, most of them from someone named Kr1szA, but a couple from someone named CaptainSparklez. He watched them go, not understanding a word of it, before turning off his screen and slumping against the wall tiredly. 

“Thank you.”

“Yeah.”

He closed his eyes again. He was tired. Boffy leaned against him, curly hair tickling his jaw as the boy leaned his head on his shoulder. After a moment, Deo moved around the fire pit, sitting on Tommy’s left, pressing their shoulders together. Boffy was ice cold, and his hair smelled awful, and Deo was uncomfortably warm and smelled almost sickly sweet, but Tommy felt himself relax. 

He felt safer than he’d felt in his entire life.

Maybe things were going to work out, he thought, not noticing the shadowy figure dart across the mouth of the cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, so, i may not be updating as often, school has been kicking my ass, and my mom may have gotten covid, which is a serious problem because both of us are at risk. i'll do my best to upload at least three chapters a week, but there's really no promises. 
> 
> i also may write flashback chapters, just as filler, because i want to explain the backstories a bit more, so the plot may not continue any time soon, but i swear i'll get it over with as soon as possible.
> 
> thank you for reading, i hope you guys enjoyed!  
> toby <3


	10. a man without a face, and a man without a purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kids by the frights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> felt bad for the fake out chapter yesterday, so here, have a real one, although it's so incredibly short <3
> 
> trying to introduce everyone on the server before we get too far into the plot.

Jack was sick and tired of this.

More specifically, he was sick and tired of Tommy. The way the kid talked, his laugh, the way he rocked back and forth on his feet… it did nothing but piss Jack off.

It’s not like Jack hated him for no reason of course. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way Tommy had come home with a scar one day, one in the middle of his forehead, and everyone had been beside themselves with worry. He was a hero, they said, for sacrificing himself to Dream, a duel that lost them their freedom, but it was ok, because he had chosen to risk it all. He gave up their freedom for his ego.

He remembered when Tubbo had died, and Tommy had been so worried. All he could talk about was Tubbo, Tubbo, Tubbo.

When Jack died, when Tommy killed him, the only person who noticed was Ghostbur.

Jack was sick and tired of people forgetting he was a kid too.

Grayson, Tommy, Tubbo… no one forgot them. When he told them they were being too loud, people would say ‘they’re just kids, let them have their fun.’ When he yelled at Tubbo for letting the country go to shit, Quackity had punched him and told him to back off.

He was so goddamn sick and tired of everything.

Niki had told him she would help. She was going to help him kill Tommy, but then, her precious Puffy had stepped in, told her it was a bad idea, and he was alone again.

Nothing ever went how he wanted.

He kicked a pebble into the crater, watching it bounce, wondering if his body had bounced after Techno had thrown him in after he died.

He shouldn’t have respawned.    
  


Why had he?

It didn’t matter, did it? When Phil had asked, the only person to even notice, he’d shrugged it off with a joke. “I guess I’m just built different.” Phil had smiled politely and turned away.

Jack tried not to take it too personally. The man had his own worries. Everyone had their own worries. Their own priorities, that just so happen to not include one Jack Manifold.

Sam and Punz walked by, talking about something. Sam looked at Jack and raised an eyebrow in a ‘what are  _ you  _ doing here’ way. Jack didn’t have a response, so he turned and walked off.

Quackity stood in the center of the little town, staring up at the construction that towered up to the heavens. Jack hesitated, trying to decide whether talking to the other man was worth it before deciding, no, it really wasn’t, and turning away.

“Wait, Manifold!”

He spun around, blinking at Quackity. “What?”

“Come here, I need your opinion on this.”

He froze. Quackity didn’t like him much, he knew that. He, Quackity and Skeppy had always been locked in a little three way war, their arguments devolving into petty squabbling. He wasn’t even sure why, the three of them were pretty similar all things considered, all three of them overshadowed, trying so desperately hard to be noticed by whatever cosmic forces was responsible for this hell of a server…

It didn’t help that Quackity scared him. His voice and face were constantly changing, both being occasionally replaced by static, void, nothing. It was really disconcerting to be having a conversation with someone, only for their face to change into your own, and their voice to come out as a Mexican love ballad before both completely vanish, leaving you with a faceless, silent entity.

“Ok, what’s up? What do you need?”

Quackity glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “Have you been noticing anything weird going on? Shit moving around?”

“Weird shit?” Jack hesitated, thinking. “I don’t think so? Uh…”

“Really? Nothing?”

“Fuck, dude, I don’t know, I can’t remember if I have…”

“Hm…” Quackity sighed before pointing upwards. “Ok… What’s your take on that?”

Jack glanced up finally, and froze. “What the fuck is that.”

“Dead body, I think.”

It was. It hung roughly a hundred feet up, suspended in air by nothing. From this far off, he couldn’t really tell who it was, or who it used to be, but something about it made him queasy. It didn’t even look dead, not really, no obvious blood, but the way it hung there so limply… It wasn’t alive, he knew that much.

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah.” Quackity pulled off his hat, running a hand through his dark hair, his eyes narrowing at the corpse. His face was hard to see, even from this close, a strange shifting mass of features on his tan skin, pale blue eyes gleaming in the early morning light.

“So… what do we do?”

Quackity shrugged, pulling his hat back on. “What can we do? Leave it, I guess.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jack hesitated. “Should we be more worried about this? This is… kinda fucked up.”

Quackity frowned at him. “I mean… yeah, I guess, but…” His dark eyes drifted back up to the body, his lips pressing thin, before his face shifted again, rippling into Bad’s, then Tommy’s, then Dream’s, then settling into one somewhere between Jack and Wilbur’s. “I don’t know. It’s like...this should be scary, right? But it’s just sad.”

“Yeah…”

They stood there for a moment, looking up at the suspended body, before it suddenly blinked out of existence and they were looking at nothing. Jack blinked, looking at Quackity, who looked back, and they just stood there for a moment, before Quackity let out a shaky laugh. 

“What the fuck?”

Jack felt a sudden rush of terror, confusion, shock, roll up his throat, and he gagged, and stumbled back. “What the hell? Holy shit, that was…”

Quackity’s face morphed again, into Schlatt, and his voice crackled out a bit, cutting out to silence, then static, before coming back in a rough interpretation of Tommy’s. “What the fuck, what the fuck… should we tell someone?!”

Jack blinked, glancing up to where the body once hovered. “Who should we tell? This… This was majorly fucked, man…”

“Yeah, no kidding…” 

Jack sat down on the ground, and after a moment, Quackity lowered himself into the grass beside him, both of them leaning on the tower behind them.

They sat there for a moment, before Quackity started muttering something, a prayer, maybe, in Spanish, his fingers tugging at the grass. Jack didn’t comment, just watching from the corner of his eyes.

“You… you asked if I’d seen stuff like this before… have you?”

Quackity shrugged. “Yeah, sorta. Shit like… there was a creeper hole outside my house yesterday, and when I came out today, it was gone, replaced by mycelium. Or a week back, Sam’s front door was upside down. It’s like… little things that probably shouldn’t matter, but they’re just weird enough for me to notice.”

Jack thought about that, before his eyebrows shot up. “Oh shit… like my respawn!”

Quackity raised an eyebrow, watching as the younger boy straightened up, rubbing his forehead. “Your… respawn?”

Jack nodded excitedly. “On Doomsday! I died, and it should’ve been perma, but… it wasn’t. I was obviously just chuffed to be around, figured it was a fluke, but… what if it was one of these weird things? These… glitches?”

“Wait… you… you escaped perma?”

Jack paused. He hadn’t meant to tell him that. If he told Dream, and Dream didn’t like that, he could just /kill him, and Jack would be gone for good. “Uh…”

“Hey, calm down, man. I won’t tell anyone. You’re good, just… Holy shit, man, that’s wild.” 

His voice had shifted to Jack’s, but kept his own accent, and Jack shuddered. It felt wrong, hearing his own voice, without his dumb slang and heavy accent. It sounded so… off-white. Jack really wished he hadn’t stopped by.

“Can we just… never talk about this again? This is too weird.” He moved to stand up, but Quackity grabbed his arm, pulling him down. 

“Nuh-uh, amigo. You are sticking around until we figured this shit out. As far as we know, no one else has even noticed this, so we’re all alone.”

Jack huffed, sitting back down, feeling Quackity’s hand bubble, changing into someone else’s (Skeppy? Jack couldn’t really tell, but judging from the skin tone, it was probably him.) before going back to his own. His face was still Schlatt-like, but his hair was a bright white, and his eyes were a mismatched green and red, like Ranboo’s.

It was nauseating, and Jack forced himself to look away.

“Can you stop doing that?” He muttered, eyes fixed on the clump of dirt by his foot. “Your face shifting or whatever the bloody hell you call it?”

Quackity drew back for a moment, and Jack could almost imagine the look on his face, but then he hummed. “Yeah, but I gotta focus on it.” His voice was lispy, quiet. His own.

Jack glanced at him, then. His face had settled, his tan skin and dark eyes, and the scars that stretched up from his mouth, skating around his nose, up toward his forehead. The younger boy sighed in relief. 

“I forgot about that,” He muttered. “The Technoduel.”   
  


Quackity laughed at that, his own voice, his own laugh. “Yeah, man. A lot of people did, I think.”

Jack blinked at the bitterness. He’d forgotten how similar they were. Always overlooked, alway brushed off. They were adults, technically. He was 18, Quackity was just barely 20, but neither of them were anywhere near grown up. 

“Hey, you know what? You can… you can change your face, if you want. It’s weird as hell, and kinda gross, but… I’m not gonna tell you what to do.”

Quackity blinked at him, before smiling. “Thanks man. I think I’ll keep this look round for a bit though.”

Jack nodded, before looking back up to the sky. “So… what do we do about the weird shit?”

“I don’t know… do you think it might be glitches?”

“Maybe? Don’t those only happen when a server is going to crash?”

“...I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it.”

Jack hesitated. He hadn’t either. Just the concept of a server crash… What even was a server? Like, he knew he lived in one, but… where there others? How would one get to them? What happens after a crash?

He stood, reaching out a hand to help the man up. “Come on, if we’re gonna figure this out, we best get cracking.”

Quackity smirked, grabbing his hand and letting him drag him up. “God, you are so painfully British.”

Jack laughed, flipping him off. “Oi, shut it, mate.”

“Shut it mate!” Quackity’s voice was a weird mixture of his and Fundy’s, an English-Dutch amalgamation that made Jack cringe a bit, but for once, he didn’t really mind. “Oi! Oi, shut it! I’m chuffed! Cuppa tea?”

Jack scoffed, punching his arm, and Quackity laughed, dancing away, still spouting off every British slang term he could think of, and Jack tried to fight off the grin that threatened to take over his face.

The server was probably coming to an end, and his voice and face had been copied by an eccentric man with a drug addiction, and he still had no idea how he was going to kill Tommy, but- for the first time in a while- Jack Manifold let himself relax, and grin, and let go.

The figure watching the pair from the woods grinned too, before vanishing into the shadows. This was going to be easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jack is so incredibly hard to write, why the fuck does he talk like that? god, i hate british people. /nm
> 
> important gamer fact of the day: 80 is from fucking minnesota smh.


	11. memories and such

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ode to justin bieber by hobo johnson (this sounds like a joke, but trust me)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so incredibly sorry for the short chapters, i'll try to get you guys a longer one soon, i just wanted to establish some final connections.

Ranboo was very very confused. 

Everyone was acting weird, and maybe it was his own inability to understand humans, or maybe it was something to do with the mysterious Kristin lady, but it felt a bit like his world was crumbling to pieces around him.

He didn’t like this, didn’t like feeling so confused.

His arms were sore from all the work, all the bricks he’d laid were a bit crooked, and the snow had already coated his shoulders and hair, but he was still working, still moving to pick up bricks, and lay the mortar, and put down the bricks, and pick up bricks, and lay the mortar, and put down the bricks.

He was very confused, and very tired, and his head hurt, and his ears hurt from the cold, but he kept going. He couldn’t stop, because if he stopped, he’d have to go inside, where the strange woman was, where the strange people were, where the strange emotions bubbled inside him.

She was so nice, which is what really confused him. She was so nice, and kind, and she called him “kiddo” and she smiled at him. At first, Techno hadn’t trusted her, and gave Ranboo looks, looks that said not to trust her either. But now, after they went out to work after lunch, they seemed close, Techno seemed to care about her. Phil seemed to think she was special, seemed to care about her so much, even if he said he didn’t remember her, and Ranboo tried not to feel jealous when he invited her inside immediately.

He had been trying for a long time to get them to trust him. He knew why they didn’t, why Techno didn’t, he’d seen Tommy betray them, he knew how much Techno missed the other boy. Ranboo had been doing his best to help, giving Techno a new axe, helping him with the dogs, trying to fill whatever holes Tommy had left, but he wasn’t right.

Tommy was his opposite in every way that counted.

Tommy was loud, and brash, and people liked him immediately. Ranboo was quiet, and nervous, and people seemed to hate him as soon as they met him. Tommy’s laugh echoed through the server, his sobs broke hearts. When Ranboo laughed, it was in soft chuckles, when he cried, no one noticed.

Ranboo was a washed out, stretched shadow of Tommy, and he couldn’t replace him.

So he didn’t complain when Techno and Phil had him stay in the kennel, when they didn’t treat him like family, when they treated him like just someone staying on their land. Phil had lost both sons, and he didn’t need another. 

Ranboo understood.

He used to think of Fundy, and Niki, and Eret as family, before Fundy and Niki abandoned him, and Eret turned away in his time of need.

He understood that too.

Who would want a little brother who couldn’t even remember what they looked like.

Sometimes, at night, he closed his eyes and tried to remember. Some things, he could almost imagine. Fundy’s fur was reddish brown, he remembered, almost the same color as his own hair. Niki’s eyes were blue, although it was hard to see a lot of the time, unless they were in bright lighting. Eret’s teeth were a bit crooked, and their canines were exceptionally sharp, almost fangs.

Their voices haunted him, though. Fundy’s crude Dutch accent, his shrill laugh. Niki’s gentle voice, the German bleeding in when she was tired or angry. Eret’s voice was so deep it was almost a hum, her English accent more posh than Tommy’s but still not quite as polished as George’s.

He couldn’t forget those voices, as much as he wanted to.

Kristin’s voice was odd, her accent the same as Ranboo’s and Techno’s, but it was loud, giggly. Sorta like Puffy’s, but higher pitched, more amused. Everything she said sounded like a joke, even when she was upset. Puffy’s voice was angrier, more threatening. 

He had no idea what to think of her.

“Hey, Ranboo, right? Mind some help?”

He glanced over his shoulders, almost unsurprised to find her there. She was bundled up warmly, her gold robes replaced by a thick coat and a long black skirt, her hair tucked into a dark blue hat he vaguely recognized as one of Phil’s. 

“Uh,” He hesitated. He really really didn’t want her to join him, she was exactly what he was avoiding, but… he also didn’t want to be rude. “Sure, if you don’t mind.”

She smiled sweetly. “Oh I have nothing else to do today, I would love to give a hand.”

He smiled back thinly, gesturing at the bricks. She picked one up, and they worked in silence for a bit. She took off her gloves at some point, not wanting to get mortar on them, and he finally noticed a thin gold band wrapped around her finger.

“Uh, are you… married?” He asked, almost hoping she wouldn’t hear him. She did, unfortunately, and glanced down at the ring, almost like she’d forgotten it was there.

“Oh,” She hesitated, thinking. “I am, yes, but I haven’t seen him in a while. He went adventuring, and never came back.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry, that must be hard…”

She smiled, but it seemed sad this time. “It happens. He’s not dead, I don’t think. He just… If he does come back there’s no promise he’ll be the same.”

He nodded, and suddenly, he was talking, quietly. “My sister got married. Her wife’s really nice, but she scares me. They’ve adopted a kid, one of my best friends, actually. I haven’t seen any of them in a long time, I have no idea how they are. My brother got married too, once, but I don’t remember what happened with that. I think his husband ran away? It was a weird situation. Our oldest brother, though, doesn't want to get married. She says she’s got bigger things to worry about than a spouse, and she’s right. I don’t think I ever want to get married, it seems like a lot of work… I might want kids, though, but I really don’t know. I’m only a kid, I’ve got some time to think about it.”

She’d stopped moving, and was just staring at him, speechlessly. He froze, trying to regroup his thoughts. “Sorry, that was… I didn’t mean to talk that much.”

She laughed then, a soft giggle that sounded so much like Niki’s that his heart seemed to catch fire. “Oh my gosh, don’t worry, you’re perfectly fine. You remind me of my son.”

Ranboo blinked. “Oh? You have a son?”

“Two, actually. Or… well, one of them died, apparently. I didn’t even learn about it until recently.”

“Oh. Oh my God that’s awful.”

She shrugged, eyes on the wall. “Oh, I’m sure it’ll be absolutely heartbreaking as soon as I let myself think about it, but I’m making it a point not to.”

Ranboo flinched. “Oh, that sounds… very unhealthy.”

“It absolutely is, and I’ll regret it in the future, but for now,” She smiled at him. “For now, I’m perfectly fine with ignoring that little tidbit of information.”

He nodded, turning back to his work and trying to think of something, anything, to say.

“Why don’t they let you in the house?” Kristin’s voice was gentle, but he still jumped a bit.

“Uh,” He glanced at her nervously. “The last time they let someone inside, he ended up betraying them.”

She blinked, before she nodded. “Tommy…”

“Yeah. He was Phil’s son. He got exiled from L’Manburg, like a year back. Techno caught him breaking in and let him stay… Then Tommy turned around and stole Techno’s axe, ran away to help L’Manburg. I’ve been doing my best to help out, but they’re worried I’m going to backstab them. I don’t really blame them.”

Kristin let out a shaky breath, her eyes still fixed on the wall. “Oh. That’s… I’m sorry.”

He frowned. “I’m not the one should feel sorry for, Techno and Phil are the ones who got betrayed.”

“Mmm. Maybe, but it must be hard, being punished for something someone else did.”

“... He had his reasons.” That wasn’t something he’d ever admitted out loud, but now he’d said that, he couldn’t stop. “People always treated Tommy like a criminal. They still do, but he’s… he’s just a kid. Something happened to him in exile, something I’m not really sure about, but… he came back different. He doesn’t trust anyone either. No one fucking trusts anyone, and I’m so sick of this, I just… I just want my family back, and I want Tubbo and Tommy to talk again, and I want people to treat me like my own person instead of discount Techno, or lamer Tommy, or wannabe Dream, and I want to go inside, and I want a house, and I want to have nice dreams for once, and I really really want things to go back to how they used to be, before all of this started, back when things were easier.”

His voice cracked on the last word and he crouched down, pressing a hand to his mouth, trying to hold back the sobs he knew would come out if he let them. Kristin hesitated, before moving beside him, wrapping her arms around him. 

“Hey, it’s ok.”

That’s what opened the floodgates. Three words, spoken quietly, in a tone so gentle he could barely stand it. He clung to her, sobbing so hard his ribcage felt like it was caving in, his sunglasses slipping off, falling into the snow, his mask damp with tears, but she didn’t move, stroking his back, patting his hair.

She reminded him of Niki, in a way, with her gentle touches and quiet murmurs. Her voice was so soft, so kind, and he almost shoved her away, almost made him run away, away from all this emotion, away from all this kindness that he knew he didn’t deserve, but he stayed, letting her rock him back and forth, let his eyes clear of tears, let his hands finally drop from her robes, falling to his lap, his fingers still, like dead spiders.

She paused, before speaking, softly, like she almost didn’t want him to hear. “I’m going to help you, ok? I’m going to get your friends back. I’m going to save you.”

He didn’t know what she was saving him from, or how she meant to do that, but he nodded, quietly, dimly. “Ok.”

  
  
  
  
  


The man watching from the treeline adjusted his mask, before turning back.

Of course Techno was lying, he just wasn’t expecting this. He was smarter than Ranboo, he knew what her story meant. Two sons, one dead, a missing husband?    
  


There was only one person this could be, but how?

And what was she doing, not even telling her family what was going on?

Dream shook his head. He had a feeling things were changing quickly.

He noticed the shadow that darted behind a tree nearby, but didn’t say anything. Let them have their fun, he thought. They’d been busy today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter will be back to the multiple povs, and the plot will finally move forward, oh my fucking god, this is getting tedious, my bad.


	12. people who aren't and may have never been

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> no songs really fit this, but uh. body terror song by ajj?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoa, more worldbuilding, but now we get a plot to go with it!

Mega’s chest felt empty.

Not even like his heart was still, or anything, it literally felt like his chest was empty, his breath rattling around his ribcage, the emptiness inside full of air and sorrow, his pulse coming from his neck, where the vines sprouted. 

It didn’t hurt. The vines, that is. They didn’t hurt, they just felt weird, like they weren’t supposed to be there. Of course they weren’t supposed to be there, but… it’s like he’d grown a third eye. It was an extension of his body he wasn’t used to, feeding him information he had no idea what to do with. 

A lot of the information was useless, things he already knew. 

_ The server’s in danger, The Diamond is hurt, You’re not helping, The egg is growing. _

Some of it may have been useful, with some more context.

_ The Blood God thirsts, They have forgotten them, The Angel draws near, You have summoned the end. _

They spoke in riddles, riddles he didn’t know the answer to, riddles he wasn’t even sure had answers, and he hated it.

It was ironic how his own thoughts started to mirror the Crimson’s whispers. He could barely understand himself, anymore.

Something about him was different. His mind was clearer than it's ever been, despite the whispers. He didn’t get mad now, not as easily. It was almost like he wasn’t… no, it wasn’t that he wasn’t himself. He was still Mega, he hadn’t completely disappeared, but now… It was emptier.    
  


It wasn’t that he was the opposite of himself. That wasn’t it. It wasn’t like everything that made him himself was gone, either. Instead, it was like…

The key things that made him who he was… they were muted. His anger, his stubbornness, his ever-present exhaustion… it faded a bit, leaving him awake, leaving him aware.

He was aware of more than himself, now. He could feel everything on the server. The drumming of feet in a dark tunnel, the sobbing of a mother who’d lost everything, the nightmares of a boy who’d been through hell at the hands of a spiteful god, the shouting of a man afraid to lose his son. The heartbeat of someone who wasn’t supposed to exist, who never had, and never will, and yet still  _ was _ .   
  


He Knew so many riddles, and yet none of them had answers.

He missed not Knowing.

He Knew his purpose now, too. He was supposed to help the egg. He Knew why he was selected, too. Bad- or Halo, as the egg thought of him- thought his core trait was his Independence. He thought removing that would leave a puppet, and the egg would be able to control him.

His Independence was important, yes, but it wasn’t that important. His Rage, though, his blind rebellion, his spiteful indifference, was worse. They took that. They took the one thing that kept him from seeing clearly. 

He wasn’t supposed to Know all of this. The egg had meant to create a puppet, powerful and knowledgeable. A right hand man, of sorts, not this. It had given him power, and removed his flaws, and now… he wasn’t sure what he was now.

Power flowed through him, not just from the egg, but from something else. A reservoir of power, untapped before now, moving through his veins. He thought he could See it, if he looked at his arms, a light haze surrounding him. He could See Ruby’s power too, a vague sheen. He wasn’t nearly anywhere as powerful as Mega. 

Mega was a puppet, a powerful thing, who had ripped away his strings. Ruby had never even been attached, a lazy first attempt at wood carving that got thrown away. Halo, on the other hand, was still the star of the show. Too weak to pull away, but well crafted enough that the puppeteer kept him around.

Finn was watching the puppet show, a grim charade of death, dancing puppets on a stage. He had no choice in how the show ended.

Mega felt bad for him.

He just wished he could do something about it.

“Mega?”

He glanced up, opening his mouth to respond before remembering he was mute. He’d always been mute. How could he forget?

‘Yes?’

Finn sighed a bit. “I don’t think my tab is working. Can you check, please?”

Mega nodded, reaching up a hand, and taking the man’s comm tab. He knew the password, of course, he didn’t need to ask. He scrolled through setting, screen after screen of text, eyes flickering over buttons, and tabs, and page after page of technical bullshit, before he glanced up. ‘No signal.’

Finn blinked. “What? Do you mean… is it something to do with the server, do you reckon?”

Mega shook his head. ‘No, this is unrelated to the server. I think it’s something to do with the egg. We might be too close, still.’

Finn frowned, glancing at Ruby. “How far are we?”

Ruby was watching them both from the corner, knees tucked up to his chest, thin arms wrapped around himself. “20 chunks.”

Finn blinked. “What? And that’s not enough?”

Mega shrugged, flicking a few permissions on and off. As he expected, nothing changed, but it was worth a try, wasn’t it?

Ruby suddenly sat up, looking at Mega with something in between fear and confusion in his eyes, the most emotion he’d shown all day. Mega looked back, confused, before he felt it.

Halo. 

He was coming.

Mega stood, grabbing onto the wall to keep himself from falling over, his other hand reaching for Finn, who frowned in confusion, but took his hand. Ruby stood too, shoving a handful of potions into his bag.

It was too late.

Halo stood in the doorway of the little tunnel, a sword in his hand. He leaned against the wall casually, glancing aimlessly around, expression blank. Mega could feel it now. He wasn’t himself anymore. It was all the crimson. Somewhere deep down, Bad was struggling, trying to fight back, but it wasn’t enough.

Halo, the egg, the crimson, stood before them, watching.

Mega dragged Finn behind him a bit, glaring at the shell of a man he once called his friend.

“Oh, come on, Mega. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“No, but you will hurt Finn,” Ruby spoke up, standing from the corner. Halo’s eyes flickered to him, brightening a bit. “You’re going to take Finn, and you’re going to kill him. Aren’t you?”

Finn’s hand squeezed Mega’s as Halo nodded calmly. Mega squeezed back. He couldn’t sign anything while holding onto his friend, but he couldn’t let go. Not now. Not when everything was at stake.

“So,” Halo glanced between them. “I suppose you won’t let me have him?”

Ruby sighed, lifting his axe, levelling it at his soulmate’s throat. “No, we won’t.”

Halo rolled his eyes. “Figures. I didn’t want to have to hurt you guys, but if I have no choice…”

He could easily kill all of them. They knew that. They stood no chance. This was the end.

“No,” Finn spoke suddenly, stepping forward. Mega tried to speak again, tell him to step down, but all that came out was a raspy gasp. “Wait, we can talk about this.”

Halo’s eyebrow lifted, fangs glittering in the darkness as he pulled his lips back into a smile. “Oh, sure, we can. What do you want to talk about?”

Finn hesitated, ignoring Mega’s insistent tugging. “Why do you want to kill me?”

“Why,” Halo tilted his head. “Would I tell you that?”

“Consider it my last request. Before I die, I want answers. Five questions, and then you can kill me.”

Ruby frowned, glancing between them. “Finn, don’t do this.”

Mega grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back, but he wrenched himself away, eyes fixed on Halo.

Halo stared at him, before nodding. “Ok, fine. Your first answer: The egg is hungry. It requires fresh meat.”

Finn scowled. “And it has to be me?”

“No,” Halo smiled brightly. “And that was your second question!”

“What?!” Finn’s eyes widened. “That wasn’t fair!”

Halo shrugged, gesturing for him to continue.

Finn frowned, opening his mouth to say something, before closing it. He scowled at the ceiling, obviously deep in thought, before continuing slowly. “Did whatever you did to Mega change him from himself?”

Mega’s heart stopped for a second. Finn didn’t trust him, he didn’t think he was himself. No, that was reasonable. He wouldn’t trust him either.

Halo smirked at the phrasing, before humming. “That’s a tough one. It was supposed to, definitely. However, instead of taking away his Self, it just… toned it down. So, yes, it did change him from himself, but not enough that it’s not him anymore. What’s your fourth question?”

Finn glanced at Mega, an apology in his eyes, and Mega nodded back. ‘It’s ok. Keep going.’

The room was silent for another moment before Finn spoke. “Is there any way to bring Skeppy and Bad back?”

“Mmmm… yes, but it’s not a good idea. You’d need to access the codes, and that’s no easy feat. I wouldn’t recommend it, but yes, hypothetically, you could remove the egg’s influence from the server.”

Finn nodded, but at the mention of the codes, something in his eyes lit up. He had his final question, no need for contemplation.

“Do you know who planted the bug?”

Halo smiled. “Yes.”

“What?! Who!?”

The demon’s eyes flashed a bright white, and his smile dropped, replaced by a completely blank expression. “That’s six questions, Finnster.”

Finn’s eyes widened and he stepped back, just as Halo raised his sword and swung. The blade missed the man by centimeters, slicing the front of his hoodie a bit. 

Mega lunged forward, grabbing the hilt of the weapon, trying to pull it away from Halo, but the other man just laughed, body slamming him to the floor. 

Suddenly Ruby darted forward, his shoulder digging into Halo’s ribcage, sending him reeling.    
  


The demon snarled, wheeling to swing at his old friend, who easily dodged, and suddenly they were in a dance. Block, parry, dodge, repeat.

Finn ran to Mega’s side, eye’s searching his face. “Are you ok?”

Mega nodded stiffly, accepting his friend’s hand up. ‘Fine.’

The two soulmates were still fighting, moving dizzyingly fast. Red and black, good and evil, love and hate. Ying and yang, Mega thought vaguely, remembering an old joke Geo had made once.

They were both good warriors. Skeppy had been taught by Technoblade himself. Bad trained with the Dream Team. They were nearly evenly matched when it came to hand to hand combat, but…

Halo had an edge. He had all of Bad’s talent, and all of the egg’s strength, and none of the remorse that Ruby had to be feeling.

He managed to knock Ruby down, and raised his sword to strike, but-

His eyes flashed red for a moment, and he paused, just long enough for Ruby to launch his legs up, kicking him in the chest, and he stumbled back. Suddenly, Finn was moving forward, his hand slipping to his waist.

Mega blinked, and Halo was on the ground, a long diamond knife embedded in his throat.

His eyes flickered a bit, going from red to white to red to white to grey to blue to red before turning a dark, dark grey and dimming. 

He went limp, and Finn knelt to remove the knife, turning before his body disintegrated into smoke. 

Ruby was sitting up, staring at the pile of armor in the middle of the floor, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. Mega reached for him, although whether it was for comfort or to help him up, he wasn’t sure. The man brushed it away, though, standing up on his own.

“We have to go.”

Finn nodded, wiping the black blood off of his knife and onto his sleeve, tucking his hair back behind his ear. “Yeah. We’ve got to find the others, find a way into the code.”

Mega scowled, clapping a bit to get their attention.

‘Isn’t that supposed to be nearly impossible?’

“If you want to get Skeppy and Bad back, you have no choice,” Ruby’s voice was quiet, but firm. “If you can remove the egg completely, get rid of its influence, you can save them.”

Mega stared at him. ‘Won’t that kill you?’

“Well,” Ruby shrugged. “I’m already dead.”

They brought a bag of potions, some basic tools, and Bad’s armor, leaving the rest behind. If this worked, they wouldn’t ever need to come back here, but if they did… it be nice to have backups.

So they set out, Finn’s knife still warm with the blood of their friend, and Mega had to fight off the urge to listen to the whispers.

_ They aren’t here, why are you so afraid? _

_ The watcher doesn’t watch you. _

_ They have other prey to spy on. _

The last thing he heard before he passed out was Finn screaming his name.

  
  
  
  
  


Deo almost felt bad for suggesting they move on. 

Boffy was obviously exhausted, and Tommy looked ready to collapse, but…

They needed to find the others. They’d already wasted 24 hours, and he wanted to get out as fast as possible.

**TimeDeo: Is anyone there?**

**TimeDeo: Tommy, Boffy and I are on the move. Can anyone meet up with us?**

**F1NN5T3R: k.**

**F1NN5T3R: megas hurt**

**F1NN5T3R: ruby and i r by the**

**F1NN5T3R: ruby says its the holy land**

**F1NN5T3R: i think hes joking but idfk**

**TommyInnit: No I know where that is**

**TommyInnit: We’ll meet you there in 15**

**F1NN5T3R: k.**

Deo glanced at Tommy as the younger boy shoved his comms tab into his hoodie pocket. He had definitely changed.

His hair was longer, curling around his chin. His eyes were darker, dimmer, like he hadn’t slept in weeks, and his skin was greyer, bordering on a sickly white. He hadn’t laughed once all morning, and it was getting almost unbearable.

Deo wondered why he was here.

Surely he hadn’t meant that much to Tommy. Not like Boffy, who had history, who had lived with him for so long, protected him, kept him safe…

Deo just let him sleep in his spare bedroom for a while. It wasn’t even like Tommy was homeless, he had a family, he just… decided to stick around.

Deo rarely had time for friends. He knew everything about Skyblocks, he knew all the secrets, all the back alleys. He knew how to work the auctions, and how to outsmart the mods, and he definitely knew how to make money, but in the end… that was it. He knew things, not people. Sometimes, someone would approach him in hopes of getting on his good side, making a powerful ally. He learned to turn them down fast.

Tommy hadn’t known who he was. He heard the name TimeDeo and laughed, because he thought it was a stupid name, not nearly as cool as TommyInnit. He happily told Deo about his dad’s friend, Technoblade, who played Skyblock, maybe Deo had heard of him? (Of course Deo had heard of him, everyone remembered the piglin who had destroyed the economy, who had inspired the UN to add an entire section to the Geneva Convention.) 

Deo didn’t have any real talents. He wasn’t a good fighter, or especially smart. He was just… he just had a nice voice, and a lot of money, and a shitton of patience.

They were in town now.

None of them had talked the entire walk, and the sound of wood planks under his feet was the only thing that dragged Deo out of his thoughts. Tommy was in the lead now, one hand loosely gripping a stick that he swung as he walked. Boffy had put his mask back on, the crooked smile still eerie enough to make Deo look away. He adjusted his bag over his shoulder and sped up a bit, moving to walk beside Tommy.

“So… the Holy Land?”

Tommy grinned, albeit thinly, nodding. “Yeah, man, the Holy Land. It’s around the church. Ruby probably took them there for the safety.”

“Safety?” Boffy asked, one of his hands moving up to adjust his mask a bit.

“Yeah. No one’s allowed to attack anyone on Holy Lands, on pain of death.”

Deo let out an impressed noise. “That’s… surprisingly nice.”

Tommy scoffed. “Well, we’re not savages.”

They fell silent for a bit longer, before Tommy pointed up ahead, to a small building with quartz walls, proclaiming it the Church of Prime.

It was cold inside, colder than outside, at least, and surprisingly sweet smelling, like some sort of incense. Deo took in a deep breath, running his hands over one of the pews. It was nice in here, he decided.

And then Finn walked in, and the illusion was shattered.

“What the fuck happened to you?” Boffy asked, staring at the bandages that wound the brunet’s arm. His hoodie was bloodstained, sliced open in the front, and his daggers were all in hi s belt, instead of his bag. He shrugged, nodding passively at Tommy, who nodded back.

“So, you’re the infamous TommyInnit?”

Tommy’s face lit up unexpectedly. “Oh my god, you’re British. I was worried I was going to be the only one!”

Finn smiled, opening his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by Boffy. “What’s wrong with him?”

Deo turned to look at him, only to find him staring at the back corner of the church, where a small bundle lay, tucked into a tiny ball. He didn’t recognize it at first, but when he did, he gasped. 

  
“Mega?”

The young man was crumbled, his hoodie a dark red, instead of the usual blue. His face was hidden by his hair, and his hand lay limp at his side, a golden trinket clutched in it.

“He’s resting.” 

Deo turned again, finding a brown-skinned young man standing in the doorway. He was small, with dark brown eyes and black hair. Little clusters of blood red crystals stuck out of his skin every here and there, alongside thorny vines, with little flowers on them. 

It would almost be beautiful, if it weren’t so gruesome. 

He walked past them calmly, heading straight for Mega and crouching beside him, checking his pulse, nodding in satisfaction, before taking the little golden thing from his hand and tossing it to Finn, who caught it easily. 

“Hey, Skeppy. Killed another person, have you?” Tommy’s voice was bitter, his arms crossed protectively over his chest.

“I’m not Skeppy, and he’s not dead.” The man didn’t look up, instead digging through his bag.

Tommy huffed, turning to Deo and lowering his voice to a stage whisper. “Skeppy’s an asshole.” 

The man looked up at that, staring at him, completely unimpressed. “Shut up.”

“Fuck you.”

“Bitch boy.”

Finn laughed at that, and Boffy let out a quiet chuckle. Deo fought down a grin as Tommy’s jaw dropped open and a stream of stammering complaints spilled from him. Skeppy/Not Skeppy didn’t react, just turning back to the bag.

Mega shifted, suddenly, a quiet groan coming from him. Everyone went quiet as he looked up, and then suddenly Deo felt his heart completely freeze.

The same vines that covered the man were sprouting from his neck, winding around his neck like a choker. He blinked at them, bloodshot eyes squinting in the bright church. Finally, he lifted his hands.

‘Hey.’

“Hello. You’re Mega?” Tommy was straightforward as ever, his eyes peering curiously at the other boy, who nodded. “You’re working for the egg?”

Mega shook his head. ‘No, not really. It just kinda…’ He waved his hands vaguely, pushing himself up from the floor to lean on the altar.

“Wait… what the fuck is that? It looks like crimson, but...” Boffy spoke up then, tilting his head. 

Deo thought it sounded like a pretty innocent question, but the other four all snapped upright, staring at the masked kid with wide eyes. 

“How do you know that term?” Skeppy-not-Skeppy asked, standing slowly, stepping toward the boy.

Boffy glanced at Deo, who was just as much at a loss for words. “Uh… I don’t know. I got…” He hesitated, and Finn raised an eyebrow. “I found a glitched server a while back, it had something like that…”

Finn’s eyebrow dropped into a scowl. “A glitched server.”

“Guys,” Deo stepped forward. “Look, it doesn’t really matter how Boffy knows it, does it? We can’t afford to start fighting amongst ourselves, okay?”

Skeppy-not-Skeppy nodded. “Yeah. Do you know how to get rid of it? Rid of the egg, I mean.”

Boffy paused. “I think you can code it out? Remove it from the files?”

“Wait, code it out?” Finn perked up. “Can you? If we get you to the code, could you remove the egg?”

“I thought we were leaving soon.” Tommy muttered, sitting on one of the benches, picking mud out of the tread of his boot.    
  


Deo glanced at Tommy, then at Mega. “Maybe we can afford a short delay?” 

Boffy hesitated, looking down at his hands. “I… I think so?”

Mega grinned. ‘Good. We’re gonna have omelets tonight, boys.’

  
  


  
  


80 wasn’t sure how long they’d been down there, but it was starting to fuck with his head. He kept seeing things in the corner of his eyes, faces leering from the darkness. 

He, Purpled and Sapnap sat on the floor of the tunnel, digging at the walls with the toes of their shoes, none of them wanting to be the first to break the silence. The sound of dripping water somewhere in the darkness finally got on his nerves though, and he started talking.

Sapnap jumped, blinking at him in confusion, but Purpled barely reacted, shifting a bit to peer at him from between his arms. 

He told them about sneaking Purpled into bars when they were kids, just to listen to the bands play up close.

And he told them about the time David got sick because Purpled dared him to stand in the rain for three hours.

And he told them about Sammy’s eighteenth birthday, when Purpled ate an entire ice cream cake and threw up.

And he told them about how Purpled used to help Walli train for tournaments, even though he himself refused to practice.

And he told them about how Astellic spent thirty minutes braiding Purpled’s hair, and he left it up all day, because he didn’t want to waste all of her hard work.

It’s funny, how all of his stories centered around Purpled, in the end.

He didn’t have much to say about himself. He had no problem talking during tournaments, but that was different, that was mocking the other players, and arguing with his teammates, and rambling about strategies to everyone who would listen.

Here, there was nothing else going on, so he talked about what he could think of, and right now, that was Purpled.

His baby brother.

Purpled was sitting up now, chin resting in his palm, elbow on his crossed legs, eyes on 80. Sapnap’s eyes were closed, and he was leaning against the wall. Not asleep, he still chuckled every now and then, but he was close.

“It sounds like we had fun.”

Purpled’s voice was abnormally quiet, his eyes soft.

“Yeah, we did.”

It was quiet then, 80 couldn’t think of any stories anymore. They were right where they’d started. And then Purpled talked.

He told him about Jack Manifold, who was a bastard, but still the only person on the server worth talking to some days.

He told him about Punz, who was an immoral mercenary, but was somehow so nice that even Purpled couldn’t speak ill of him.

He told him about Ponk, who was a total dumbass, but did his best to keep people happy and alive, even when shit was out of control.

He told him about Connor, who always managed to be in the way, but even after getting kidnapped several times and watching both of his best friends get brutally murdered, he kept helping everyone as much as he could.

Then Sapnap chimed in.

He told him about George, who pretended to hate everyone, but was secretly the sweetest person on the server.

He told him about Quackity, who stole, lied and cheated, but was a genius lawyer in a drug dealer’s clothing.

He told him about Karl, who was a bit of a dumbass, but in the nice way, the sweet way that made things feel okay.

He told him about Sam, who was technically a multimillionaire, but kept giving it away to anyone and everyone, and helping the kids of the server out.

He told him about Ghostbur, who was dead, and nothing like Alivebur, but maybe that wasn’t so bad.

He told him about Fundy, who always managed to be on the wrong side, but the kid was 18, and maybe he deserved a break for once.

80 listened. He listened, and he read between the lines.

His stories had centered around Purpled, around their friends. Life in the tournaments was hard, sometimes, but it was also home. He was used to it.

Their stories were about traumitized kids, who had fought war after war. There was no happy ending for them, it was only sitting in locked rooms, waiting for the sound of gunfire to die away, only to be replaced by tnt.

Back home, teams wore colors, to show who to fight.

Here, there was no indication. Anyone could be your next worst enemy.

There was no trust.

80 wasn’t a very trusting person, himself. When paired with nons, back home, he’d always done his own thing, leaving them behind. He always won, and they won in extention, but it was always on him.

They never actively tried to stop him though.

They never broke their own bed just to spite him.

Things were different here.

He couldn’t imagine what these kids had been through.

That’s what they were, in the end. Kids. Purpled was fifteen last 80 had seen him, meaning he was seventeen now, and Sapnap mentioned he was nineteen- not technically a child, but still a teen, still far too young to be fighting wars.

After what must’ve been a couple hours, Sapnap pulled out some jerky, offered it to the other two. They accepted, eating their sad little meal in silence.

Finally, Purpled stood with a huff, wincing as his joints popped and cracked. “Alright. I’m going to get moving. We might actually find a way out of here, if we’re lucky.”

Sapnap and 80 glanced at each other, nodding a bit, before they both stood up, following the boy down the tunnel. 80 noticed Sapnap shudder a bit as they walked, and- remembering the man’s breakdown earlier- cast a concerned glance his way. The man noticed and waved him off, shaking his head.

He had been so shaken, so scared…

The longer 80 spent with this kid, the more questions he had.

They had been walking for ages, only speaking in short bursts before Sapnap finally let out a frustrated scream. “We’re walking in circles, I know it!”

He punched the wall, screaming again when his fist crunched. It wasn’t broken, luckily, but the knuckles were still pretty messed up. 80 insisted on bandaging them, before they got infected.

In the maintime, they kept talking. Trying to formulate possible solutions.

“I mean, if it’s a cave in, then the obvious solution would be to dig out, right?” Purpled phrased it as a question, but it wasn’t really meant to be answered.

“It’s not a cave in,” Sapnap muttered, watching the older man wrap his torn t-shirt around his hand. “Cave ins don’t result in endless tunnels. This is a glitch. It has to be. That, or someone’s deliberately fucking with us.”

“Mmm. I don’t think so. I’ve dealt with hackers, this is… definitely not that.” 80 tied off the makeshift bandage and sat back to admire his work.

Purpled huffed. “So what is it?”

“Glitch, probably, like Sapnap said.”

Sapnap opened his mouth to say something, but they were cut off by a sound they weren’t sure they’d ever hear again.

Footsteps.

They glanced at each other for a second, before each of them stood, looking around. They stood in a little cross-section of two different tunnels, so there was four different ways the person could be coming from, but as 80 strained his ears, it occured to him that none of them seemed right. 

“Hello?”

The footsteps paused at the sound of Purpled’s voice, before speeding up again.

“Oh, hey,” The torchlight came from the fifth hallway, encompanied by a figure. “That was so much easier than I thought it would be… Come on, you guys, your friends think they’ve talked to you, and they’re bringing reinforcements to get you out.”

Sapnap scowled. “What? Talked to us? We haven’t talked to anyone the whole time we’ve been down here.”

“Yeah, but they don’t know that. So come on, or I’m leaving you here to fucking rot.”

  
  
  
  
  


Jordan had no idea what to do in this situation.

Tubbo was gone, leaving him and Puffy to stand in the living room, silently staring at the three men who had just walked in.

Velvet was looking around, aimlessly, casually, occasionally glancing between the Captain and Puffy, clearly trying to understand the situation here. He had a red mark on his cheek, but it didn’t look bad, or serious at all.

The cat- Ant, if the Captain assumed correctly- sat beside him, scowling faintly at the floor. Jordan had a hunch he knew what was going on. His white blouse had a mud stain on the shoulder and his fur was ruffled, but he looked fine.

The last guy, a blaze- if the heat radiating off of him was anything to go by- sat completely still, dark eyes boring into Velvet, waiting. He wore a black hoodie and an orange ski mask, but what little skin Jordan could see appeared untouched, uninjured.

It didn’t look like an emergency, so why were they here?

“So… you guys want tea?”

Ant glanced up then, bright blue eyes narrowing at Puffy, before he sighed, sitting up a bit. “Yeah. You got chamomile?” 

“Oh,” The blaze spoke up too, his accent heavy, somewhere between British and South African. “Can I get an Earl Black?”

Velvet shook his head at them. “I’m fine, thank you ma’am.”

She hummed, glancing at the Captain. “How about you Sparklez? You need anything?”

He shook his head, and she walked into the kitchen, leaving the four of them alone.

Jordan craned his neck, watching her go, waiting until she was out of earshot to turn to Velvet. “What are you guys doing here?!”

Velvet huffed. “We’re going on a fucking picnic, thought you might like to join us. You haven’t told her yet, have you?” He hesitated, and the red head laughed. “Oh, of course not. Have you told the kid?”

The blaze leaned forward. “Wait, you’re… Tubbo’s dad?”

Jordan nodded, and he winced visibly. Ant’s eyes widened, a look of sympathy sinking onto his face. Velvet looked between them, and frowned. 

“What am I missing. Is the kid a brat or something?”

The Captain sighed, sinking into a chair. “No. He’s been adopted. By Puffy, actually.”

Velvet’s eyes trailed to the doorway, where they could hear Puffy singing in the kitchen, an odd little tune that reminded Jordan of back home.

“Oh. Oh, shit, man. That’s rough.”

Jordan laughed, although it wasn’t really funny. “Yeah. She was one of my best friends growing up, too. This is… literally the worst thing that could happen to me. My best friend and my son, making a family, without me,” It was silent for a beat, before he glanced up. “How are you guys doing, though?”

Ant shrugged. “We’re ok. Velvet told me I’m his missing roommate, and the server is going to die, I told him he was a dumbass, Ponk showed up out of nowhere… We’re really getting places.”

The Captain raised an eyebrow at the word ‘roommates,’ but Ant didn’t notice. Velvet did, and shook his head at the man. Ponk- assuming that was the blaze- noticed too, glancing between the two with a curious glimmer in his eyes.

Suddenly, Puffy bustled back into the room with three cups of tea on a tray and a plate of cookies.

“Sorry that took so long. What did I miss?”

Velvet smiled at her, disarmingly. “Nothing much, we were just catching Captain Sparklez up on the situation.”

She tilted her head at that. “The situation?”

“Oh, shit, yeah,” Ponk mumbled around a mouthful of cookie. “Purpled, Sapnap and some other guy are stuck in a cave.”

She froze, staring at him. “What?”

Ant wrinkled his nose at the blaze, but nodded. “Yeah, it’s… not good. They’ve been down there all night.”

The Captain hesitated. “What exactly happened?”

Velvet shrugged. “Glitch, maybe? The mine entrance is just… gone.”

Puffy shook her head, curly hair bouncing around her shoulders. “A glitch? No, that’s not… no, servers don’t glitch unless there’s something wrong.”

Jordan looked up at her. She looked so young right now, so confused. He felt bad for just randomly dumping this on her, but… “Puffy, the server is going to crash in 18 days if we don’t do anything to stop it.”

She froze, eyes shifting between him and the other men. None of them looked surprised, just concerned.

“What?”

Ponk stood, gesturing at his seat, but she shook her head, stepping back. “No, no, that’s… that’s impossible, I-”

Ant sighed. “Hey, Puffy, it’s ok.”

“No, it’s obviously not! The server is going to die, along with everyone inside, how are you so calm about this?!”

Ponk raised his hands placatingly. “Cap, we’re not going to die. They’re going to get us out.”

Puffy froze, at that. “They?”

Jordan stood, then. “Yes, Velvet and I,” he gestured to the red haired man. “And six others. The server wiped your memory of before you joined, replacing it with false memories. We are- were- your friends before, and we’ve come to help.”

She laughed, incredulously. “What, am I supposed to believe you?!”

“Puffy,” Ant said, his voice quiet, gentle. “They’re telling the truth.”

She blinked at him, before shaking her head, slowly this time. She finally sat down, sinking into the couch, cup of tea forgotten. “So… you guys are here to save us? How, exactly? Do you have, like, a portal?”

The two glanced at each other. 

“Not… exactly.” The Captain said. “Once we meet up with the others, Callahan is going to send us home.”

She sighed. “Ok… alright. Are you guys… did someone come for me, specifically, or am I to assume I just disappeared without anyone noticing.”

Jordan felt his heart stutter at that. “No, I… I didn’t come for you, specifically, but,” He hesitated. “I did notice you were missing. We were friends, good friends.”

That was half a lie. He hadn’t noticed her disappear. He wasn’t sure how he missed it, but he had. But they were friends. They were.   
  


She stared at him, golden eyes glittering with something. “Who did you come for, then?”

“...Tubbo.”

“Why?”

Velvet touched his arm, giving him a look.  _ You don’t have to tell her _ . The Captain knew that, but…

“He’s my son.”

“...He’s  _ my  _ son.”

“He was mine first.”

Her face clouded over at that, and she launched herself to her feet, stepping forward. It would’ve been menacing, if she weren’t 5’2” and weighed around 120lbs. 

“No! No, you do  _ not  _ get to take my son! I have lost everything, and my entire world is dying, you’re not allowed to appear out of nowhere, claiming you  _ know _ me, know my son, and then run away with him! I have gone through hell and high waters to protect this kid, and I will  _ not  _ hesitate to run a saber through your lungs to keep him safe!”

The Captain stepped back, but any sympathy in his mind was gone, replaced by anger. “I’m not trying to take him from you, Cara! I don’t care about custody, I just want him to be okay! I just… I want to talk to him again, and listen to him ramble about bees, and help him with his homework, I just…” His voice went quiet, almost a whisper. “Puffy, I’m not trying to take him away. I just miss my son.”

She stared at him, her eyes calculating. Finally, she let out a sigh, flopping back onto the couch, face in her hands. “Niki’s not going to be happy…”

Jordan laughed, drily, bitterly. “Yeah, understandable.”

“Whatever, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” She looked up at the other three, who were standing frozen like deer in headlights. “You said people were stuck in the mine?”

“Yeah…” Ant shifted uncomfortably. “We should probably, uh…”

She huffed, standing and picking up a pickaxe from the hook by the door. “Let’s go, then.”

They walked in silence, uncomfortable silence. They reached the prison without any hiccups, then gathered around the area the mine entrance should be. Puffy frowned, crouching and tapping the dirt. 

“Weird…” She let her fingers sift through the grass, before standing.

She raised her pick, preparing to bring it down, but a voice rang through the clearing.

“Don’t do that, it’s a trap.”

They whirled around, just in time to see a figure step out of the woods.

“Your friends aren’t anymore, and unless you don’t want to be anymore either, I would recommend stepping back.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**user-error1: You weren’t supposed to let them see you.**

**user-error3: yeah, but i had to**

**user-error2: ^**

**user-error1: You guys are so dumb oh my fucking god.**

**user-error3: you care.**

**user-error3: deep down**

**user-error2: LMFAOOOO deeeeep deeeep deeeeep down.**

**user-error3: besides, i refuse to belief the big d didn’t see you**

**user-error1: Please never call dream ‘big d’ again, thank you**

**user-error3: i bet he has a big d ;D**

**user-error2: D:**

**user-error3: jk <3**

**user-error2: <3**

**user-error1: Disgusting.**

**user-error1: Anyway, no, he didn’t see me, and if he did, he didn’t recognize me.**

**user-error2: would he**

**user-error1: ????**

**user-error2: would he recognize you**

**user-error2: He probably wouldn’t**

**user-error1: Shut up, go back to your hole.**

**user-error1: Idfk, does it matter?**

**user-error3: don’t be mean, he’s just trying to help.**

**user-error2: No i wasn;t**

**user-error3: yes you were**

**user-error1: SMH.**

**user-error1: On my way back, please don’t do anything dumb**

**user-error2: no promiseds**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woah. who are these mysterious people??????? wow????? the shadow figures finally make an appearance????? (also, they're not original characters, if that helps confuse things further <3)


	13. a man, a woman, a child, and a god

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> when he died by lemon demon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYYY SHADOW PEOPLE REVEAL. 
> 
> i lowkey hate this chapter, and i feel bad for dragging this out for so long but hey.

Purpled had no idea what was going on anymore. 

They were led into a little shack in the woods, and told to wait there while their host sent out a couple messages.

The weird thing was, he didn’t know their host.

It’s not just that he didn’t recognize them, it’s not that he had never met them, it was like there was a void where they were.

It was like they weren’t supposed to exist.

He couldn’t really perceive them. Tall, thin, blond hair. Beyond that, it got fuzzy. Green eyes. Or maybe brown? No, grey. Their hair was long, but how long? Was it straight, or curly? They wore green. A hoodie? A tank top? A sweater? Their voice was high, but was it naturally so? It had an echo, but how? What accent did they have? Did they smile?

Something about them was almost familiar in a way he couldn’t place, but they were also so so foreign.

They came in after a moment, adjusting their low cut neckline as they put a kettle on the fire. “Sorry about that, had to text the other three.”

“The other three?” Sapnap asked, pulling his knees up to his chest. 

They nodded. “Yeah, the other three. You were in there quite a while, you know, people were getting worried.”

80 raised an eyebrow. “It was only a couple hours, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, it was much longer than that.”

“Who are you?” Purpled finally asked, as they pulled out a box of tea bags from a chest.

They didn’t look at him as they responded, eyes on the mugs. “I’m not, I think.”

Purpled frowned. “What do you mean, ‘you’re not.’ You’re not what?”

“I’m just… not.”

80 tilted his head. “What do we call you, though?”

“Like a name?” They blinked at him, a look of surprise on their face. “I’m not sure. I don’t use one.”

Sapnap let out a laugh. “You don’t use a name?! How the fuck do you not use a name? What do people call you?”

They shrugged, turning back to the mugs as they poured the water in. “They don’t really call me anything. My lover calls me ‘baby’, sometimes, and the kid calls me ‘the bitch.’ That’s about it, though. Once-” They paused. “One time, a boy gave me a name, as a joke. Girl Dream.”

Purpled blinked. “Girl… Dream?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, he said I look like him.”

She kinda did, in a way. Her hair was lighter, and much longer, and her eyes were more blue than green, and her cardigan was a light forest green instead of lime, but… Purpled could almost see it.

Sapnap scoffed. “Can we call you Girl Dream?”

She shrugged. “If you want. I don’t have anything else you could call me.”

Outside, someone shouted something, and Purpled sat up. “That was Ponk.”

Girl Dream glanced out the window and smiled. Seconds later, the door swung open, and Puffy stood there.

“Hey kid, how are you?” 

Purpled shrugged. “Found out I have a big brother. That’s weird, I guess.”

Puffy nodded. “Mmm. Understandable. Apparently my kid has a dad.”

“Oh, yeah,” He hummed. “Yeah, I heard about that.”

Ant and Ponk wandered in, Ponk immediately sitting on the bed beside Purpled, as far from Sapnap as he could get. The cat rolled his eyes, sitting by the black-haired man, gesturing for a long-legged red-haired man to join him. The last two stood in the doorway, before the older sat cautiously at the table. The younger walked up to Girl Dream and muttered something in her ear.

He was obviously the same thing she was, or, rather- he wasn’t whatever she wasn’t. His skin was brown, his hair dark, and his eyes humorous, but Purpled couldn’t comprehend much else. He was shorter than she was, and wore a brown leather jacket, with some sort of bandana wrapped around his neck. If Purpled focused, he thought he could see a pair of wings tucked behind him, but he wasn’t quite sure.

Girl Dream chuckled at whatever he said, turning back to the mugs. He rested his chin on her shoulder, although he had to go on his tiptoes to do it.

They were very obviously very deeply in love, and Ponk made a gagging noise. When Purpled chuckled, he looked very proud of himself, even though their hosts both glared at him.

“So, are you finally going to explain things to us?” Puffy asked, crossing her arms.

The not-people glanced at each other and the man shrugged, stepping back. “Sure, man. What do you want to know?”

Sapnap spoke up. “How the fuck are you… not?”

Girl Dream chuckled. “Oh, we’re going straight to the big questions, huh?”

“Mmm,” The guy smirked, tilting his head. His voice was raspy, his accent strong, but he spoke with a strange confidence, a certain air of indifference. “How do you explain not being? We  _ were _ , once. I don’t remember how long ago, but we were. Four of us, all Admins. Oh, we were glorious, man. We were Gods, in a way. We joined the server, way back, in the beginning, with Dream, and Sam, and… you.” He nodded towards Sapnap, who blinked. “Don’t feel bad about not remembering us, my friend. Something happened, and… we weren’t. Our existence, our being. They were gone, removed. The code, everything that made us  _ us _ was gone. We were nothing, man. And then, like a month ago, we were again. No one remembered us, no one recognized us. No one could see us. My girl and I,” he gestured to Girl Dream. “We met a boy, named Tomas. He was nice, but he forgot us, I think. Kept calling us ‘allucinations.”

Girl Dream spoke up, nodding. “We’ve been watching ever since, waiting for someone to catch on with what’s happening. Suddenly, there’s eight new people on the server, and you’re trying to patch up this hellscape. The kid said we needed to stay away, but…”

The man laughed. “The kid’s a bitch. Hear that, kid? You’re a bitch!” 

He angled that last bit at the door, just as another not-person walked in. She was small, young, her brown hair tied up in a ponytail, her dark red hoodie ripped and torn. She moved with a strange grace, like a dancer, gliding across the room to crack open a chest.

“Takes one to know one, I s’pose.”

The guy frowned, opening his mouth, before snapping it shut again.

“Do any of you guys have names?” Sapnap asked, looking unbearably confused.

The kid looked at him, tilting his head. “Not really. People call me Drista, if that helps. Tommy named those two, Girl Dream and Mexican Dream, and the last one…”

Mexican Dream’s face split in a wicked grin. “We call ‘im Death Bringer.”

Drista nodded seriously, “Death Bringer, god of vengeance.”

Purpled raised an eyebrow at Girl Dream, who rolled her eyes. “We don’t really call him that. He’s the only one to have any form of a real name, but it’s definitely not Death Bringer.”

“What is it then?” Ponk asked.

Mexican Dream let out a whoop. “Shitass!”

To Purpled’s surprise, Girl Dream didn’t contest this, just nodding. “Yeah.”

The man near the door, Tubbo’s dad, blinked. “Pardon?”

“You heard the man,” Drista grinned. “We call ‘im Shitass!”

Ant laughed. “Girl Dream, Mexican Dream and Shitass. You guys are… quite the party, aren’t you?”

Girl Dream winked. “Hell yeah, we are, honey.”

They had sandwiches for dinner, and Purpled realised how human these people are. Something about watching someone eat… Drista talked around mouthfuls of food, arguing with everyone. Girl Dream ate slowly, neatly, only speaking up when someone asked her something, or one of the others got something wrong. Purpled never even noticed Mexican Dream eat. One minute he was holding a sandwich, and the next, he wasn’t.

They were odd, and still not quite human, but…

It was like a terrible little family, full of weirdos with questionable identities.

They were just finishing up when the door opened one last time, and Shitass walked in.

Death Bringer would have been a better name.

He wasn’t scary, per se, not physically at least. He was small, around the height of Mexican Dream, but thinner, with bony limbs and a wiry frame. His dark hair was cut short, and he was dressed in a blue tee shirt and red shorts. 

His face was somehow even more unfathomable than the other not-people, but Purpled could make out a pair of solid black eyes, and a blank smile. 

Something about him, though… The other three were human, in a way, although that humanity was removed. They were humans in the way oranges were lemons. It was there, somewhere, even if it wasn’t obvious at first.

Shitass was different. He was human in the way a planet was a lemon, the way a galaxy was a leaf. 

The newcomers, the mortals, quieted when they saw him, a heavy silence blanketing the room, but the not-humans didn’t bat an eye. 

“Ey, Shitass!” Mexican Dream cried, gesturing for him to sit beside him. 

He did, and Ant- who suddenly found himself inches away from a being so powerful he could barely qualify as a being- puffed up a bit, eyes going wide.

Shitass looked around at them, eyes settling on Sapnap. There was a pause, before he opened his mouth and  _ oh prime, what the fuck is that noise. _

It sounded a bit like someone held a microphone directly in front of their mouth and breathed into it, but there was a bit of screaming, and a subtle hint of laughter.

Purpled slammed his hands over his ears, but the sound was gone almost immediately, leaving everyone to stare at the being in shock and confusion.

Drista laughed at their expressions, leaning across Purpled to stage whisper to her friend. “Shitass, I think they’re scared of you.”

Purpled decided that he really really was.

After that, The Captain- Tubbo’s dad- decided he had some more questions, and the not humans agreed to answer them.

“First of all… how old are you guys?”

Girl Dream hummed, tilting her head. “That’s a tough question. I’m probably around… 25? Same with my baby, here,” She winked at Mexican Dream, who beamed at her. “I think the kid is…”

“14.”

“...14. I don’t think Shitass has an age,” She glanced at the thing, who shrugged. “Yeah. Any other questions?”

“Why don’t I remember you?” Sapnap said, crossing his arms.

“No one does,” Drista said. “We were completely removed from reality, not even our families remember us.”

“Family?” Puffy frowned. “Do you have any family here?”

“No, but… I mean, if we did, they wouldn’t remember. Come on, read between the lines, Fluffy.”

“Do you remember joining the server?” 80 asked, leaning forward.

Mexican Dream laughed. “Man, that’s all we remember!”

Purpled suddenly remembered something. “You said you’ve been watching? Do you know who set the code?”

Girl Dream sighed, shaking her head. “Wish we did. We can’t see the code, and even if we could, that was before our time.”

Purpled found himself looking at Shitass, who still hadn’t spoken. “And… what’s with him?”

Girl Dream hesitated. “I’m not actually sure. He wasn’t always like this, I think, but… I can’t imagine him being any different.”

Drista stretched, wincing in satisfaction when her back popped. “He’s just built different, I guess.”

Suddenly, Velvet leaned forward, eyes narrowing at them. “Wait, can we die?”

Mexican Dream laughed. “Yeah, man, of course you can.”

The red head shook his head. “No, I mean… will we respawn?”

Mexican Dream’s mouth formed a little ‘o’. “Ahhh, that’s a good question. No, I don’t think so.”

Drista shook her head. “Nah, probably not. You guys aren’t… I dunno, hooked up to the system?”

Puffy cursed under her breath. “Ok, next question…” She hesitated. “Where… where are their friends? How close are they?”

Mexican Dream and Girl Dream both looked at Shitass, who waved a hand towards town. Girl Dream nodded. “They’re in the church, or… four of them are? They’re having problems with the crimson, a new planted.”

Ant and Puffy suddenly sat up, staring at her. “What?”

She blinked. “A new… planted? I mean, that could be a mistranslation, but the grammar-”

“No, that part made sense,” Ant waved his hand. “Who’s there?”

Shitass looked at Mexican Dream, who raised his eyebrows. “Tomas, for one thing. There’s a few others, a guy with a smiley mask and a guy with sunglasses. And three others, two with flowers, one with knives.”

Purpled frowned. “A guy with a smiley mask? It sounds like-” He cut himself off, glancing towards Sapnap, but Mexican Dream shook his head.

“It’s not Dream, man. We know what he looks like, this aint him. Someone new.”

The Captain nodded. “The kid, um… Buffy?”

“Boffy,” 80 learned back against the wall. “He’s a friend of Tommy’s, from before.”

Ponk hummed. “Ok, so they got egg possessed-”

Ant snarled at him. “Have some respect, asshole.”

“Ok, so they got  _ demon alien egg  _ possessed, are they okay other than that?”

Girl Dream nodded. “Yeah. I think they’re going to try and access the code, and remove the egg, but-”

“What? No, they can’t-” Ant cried, standing up. “They can’t get rid of the egg-”

Puffy scowled. “Oh, they absolutely can and should.”

Drista huffed, puffing out her cheeks. “Oh, boy. Internal conflict of interests. That’s fun.”

“What…” Velvet hesitated. “What exactly is the egg?”

Drista shrugged. “It’s a glitch. It’s either caused by that Jacobs guy, or the bug.”

Sapnap let out a squeak. “Jacobs guy?”

She looked at him, a look of realisation dawning on her face. “Oh… oh you didn’t know? I thought… Oh shit.”

Mexican Dream smacked her arm. “Here’s the bit where you shut up, kid.”

She did, wincing a bit as Sapnap spluttered. 80 gave him a concerned look, but he waved him off. “What the fuck do you mean ‘caused by that Jacobs guy’? He’s not… he’s not the hacker.”

Drista raised her hands. “No, no, he’s not, but he… he’s been causing a lot of glitches.”

Purpled leaned forward. “How?”

Girl Dream sighed. “Karl… has been creating his own little stories. Little… I don’t know how to explain it. He builds a bubble around himself, somehow, and creates little npcs to run around, and he acts out… murder mysteries… I don’t know how he’s doing it. He’s… he’s not an admin. I know that much, but…”

“So… he’s altering the code?”

“No,” Mexican Dream tilted his head. “He’s not touching the code, he’s just changing the world.”

Sapnap huffed, pulling his knees to his chest. “Great. My husband is destroying reality. Figures…”

“Don’t be mad at Karl,” Drista huffed. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing, he-”

Suddenly, Velvet, 80 and Jordan’s communicators all rang in unison.

Everyone froze, looking at them, but they didn’t seem to have much of a clue what was going on.

80 scowled at his screen, touching the notification, waiting for it to load, and… he froze, glancing up at the Captain. Velvet whistled under his breath.

Drista scowled, looking between them. “What? What’s wrong?”

Purpled leaned over to 80, peering over his shoulder, and his heart stopped.

**Kr1szA: Dream has taken Techno.** **  
  
**

**Kr1szA: If we don’t leave, Techno dies.**

**Kr1szA: What do we do?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shitass my beloved.
> 
> i'm literally so fucking excited about this upcoming arc oh my god, this is what i've been waiting for.


	14. observations of a man lost to greed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shout out to my friend django for reading this over my shoulder.
> 
> here's a short chapter to appease the masses while i struggle with writing the next one.

Dream couldn’t remember the first conflict on the server.

That was odd, considering how he remembered how he felt, and what he said, and how he stormed off. He could remember the little things, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember who he was arguing with. It was only two years ago, he should remember.

He just couldn’t.

It wasn’t until Tommy found Mexican Dream that things started coming back.

He couldn’t remember the man, but in a new way, a different way. Instead of just having no memories of the odd guy, he had negative memories, a hole where there should have been nothing.

He’d been removed from the code.

He didn’t exist.

Dream told Tommy Mexican Dream and his girlfriend were hallucinations, and the boy believed him, but it wasn’t over yet. Dream had questions.

If they’d been removed from the code, if they’d been deleted from reality, who had done it? And more importantly, how were they back?

That morning, when he’d seen the shadow trailing him from Techno’s house, he’d known immediately that this was another one of the not people. Mexican Dream wasn’t that stealthy, and he doubted Girl Dream was one for action, so it must be a third. Ninja Dream, he thought dryly. 

Karl was still messing things up, too.

What with the server crash, and the not people coming back, Dream had enough to worry about without Karl’s little games.

It wasn’t like Karl knew what he was doing. He found a leak in the system, a loophole in the code, and he used it to create his own little worlds. The village that never was, the town that went mad, a little pirate adventure, the city of Mizu. And then the mansion. Dream watched from afar, joining in with the town, taking off his mask and putting on an accent. Karl had thought he was one of his little npcs, and let him stay.

It was just fun for Karl. Just a game. 

It was tearing the server apart. He was tugging the code to make it do what he wanted, and that caused it to unravel. He wasn’t directly responsible for the glitches, not all of them, at least, but he did have something to do with a good bit.

Dream hadn’t told him. He hadn’t told him or his husbands, because this made things interesting. It upped the stakes.

At this point, the stakes were too high. What with Callahan adding the newcomers, and Manifold somehow cheating death… It was too much. Dream refused to cave, though.

So he kept going how he always did. One problem at a time. Take care of the newcomers, first. Then Manifold, then the not people, and then the server.

He knew how to handle the newcomers, taking Tommy would be simple enough, and an easy fix to that problem, but… He was on holy ground right now, and surrounded by people. The next option was Tubbo, but he was hanging out with George, and Dream couldn’t bring himself to go near them right now.

So he was left with what he had.

People he could get to were Punz, Sam, and Techno. Punz was his only “friend”, he couldn’t risk driving him away. Sam was a useful asset, as well as powerful enough he could probably kill Dream. Techno…

Techno would have to do. As long as Dream could catch him off guard, there were enough people who cared for him for him to create leverage. Especially Phil and his little wife.

**Dream: Can you meet me in the mansion? I have something I need to talk about.**

**Technoblade: its been four hours**

**Technoblade: did you really miss me that much?**

**Technoblade: im sorry dream, i can’t marry you, my heart is taken by violence.**

**Dream: Just get over here.**

He tucked the tab in the pocket of his skirt, leaning against the stair railing. It was so quiet out here, when there was no one around. The rustling of the trees outside, the chatter of birds, the occasional hum of his comms tab. It was a bit cold out, for a September evening. He wondered if that had something to do with the server crash, or if it was just natural.

He wasn’t a fan of the cold.

It reminded him of how Sapnap used to heat up blankets for the group, back when the server first began.

He remembered Sam and Ponk taking all of them, building a fort. He remembered George whining about how cold it was and stealing his hoodie. He remembered Callahan and Alyssa fishing peacefully, chatting about everything they could think of. He remembered someone else, a kid, in a red hoodie and a sad face mask, although he simultaneously couldn’t remember them at all.

He remembered building the community house.

He couldn’t remember anything before that.

He knew he created the server, as a way to escape the outside world, and just have fun with his friends, but… he wondered why he hadn’t been more careful.

He was no god. He was just a man, who missed his friends, who missed his home, a home he couldn’t remember.

The sound of heels echoed through the mansion.

Technoblade was here.

Dream glided down the staircase, watching his old rival carefully. The piglin looked tired, his arms crossed over his chest. He’d put on some weight, in the last few months, Dream realised, his muscles were hidden both by a layer of thick hair, and a layer of fat. He wore no armor, bore no weapons, just a simple silk shirt and his gown. He looked comfortable. 

Good. That made things easier.

“Hello Technoblade.”

“Dream.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for inviting me.”

They stood together, but apart, each staring the other down. Finally, Techno sighed.

“What do you want?”

Dream hesitated. “I would like to call in that favor, if you don’t mind.”

Techno froze, staring at him. “Pardon?”

“The favor,” Dream said calmly. “I want to call it in.”

The piglin’s eyes narrowed. “On what?”

The Admin inclined his head a bit. “I need to kidnap you, but I don’t want you fighting back.”

Techno stepped back, his body tensing, scarlet eyes glancing to the door, but Dream was faster, moving between the larger man and the door. 

“Mmm. I assume you’re not going to let me do this, are you?”

Techno hesitated. “No, I’m not…”

“Fine. I guess I’ll have to do this the hard way.”

He pulled out a potion from his belt, not even needing to look at it before throwing it. It shattered on the piglin’s chest, immediately soaking into Techno’s skin, slowing his movements. The warrior flinched back, trying to get away from Dream, who rushed forward, grabbing his gown and whirling him around.

He yanked him back and down, pulling him down to his height and wrapping a cord around his neck, pulling it tight. The piglin tried to struggle, but the potion was taking effect, a careful blend of weakness, slowness and nausea that rendered him useless.

In a fair fight, Dream and Techno were about evenly matched. 

This wasn’t a fair fight.

It took a while for Techno to stop struggling, but eventually, he went limp in Dream’s arms, and the smaller man tried to pull him up, lift him onto his back. It failed, completely, and he had to stop and step away. This was going to be difficult. Unless…

He pulled up a screen, typed in a series of commands, and then they were in his base. He let out a sigh, pulling Techno’s arm over his shoulder and dragging him down the hallway. The cage he’d built for Skeppy still stood, and Dream managed to maneuver the unconscious warrior in.

After that, he pulled out his tab. 

**Dream: Hi Ran.**

**Ranboo: What do you want?**

**Dream: Jeez, so much hostility.**

**Dream: What if I’m messaging to ask you to attend my birthday party?**

**Ranboo: You’re not, though.**

**Dream: No, I’m not.**

**Dream: Tell your friend Kristen that I’ve taken Technoblade, and unless she and her friends leave, I will permakill him.**

**Dream: They have three hours.**

**Dream: :)**

Dream slipped his comms tab back into his pocket, running his hand through his thick blond hair. 

It was getting long, he noticed. George used to make the team get haircuts every month, but after Sapnap ran off to marry Quackity and Karl, and George gave up on him, he hasn't really gotten the motivation.

He glanced at Techno's limp form one last time. He looked so peaceful, when he was unconscious. 

Dream sighed again, turning away, walking down his hallway of attachments, his museum of puppet strings.

He had an axe to sharpen, and a sliver of guilt to crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, i hate this guy :)


	15. hugs, family, rivalry, and mercenaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> butterfly's response by zabawa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't take my meds this morning, so here, have a second chapter, the next one will be longer, i swear.

Phil could count on one hand how many times he'd been hugged in his life.

The first had been Wilbur, when he was a kid, although Phil barely counted that, the boy was never very physically affectionate, only hugging his father once in his life.

The second had been Fundy, when the fox saw him holding the sword, and immediately realized what had happened. That was the first real interaction he'd ever had with his grandson 

The third was Tommy, when he finally came home, when the boy finally escaped exile. The boy had been so skinny, so fragile, and Phil knew he should be gentle, but oh god he was home.

The fourth was Techno, after Tommy betrayed them. That was also the only time Phil had ever seen the warrior cry, his scarlet eyes sadder than anything Phil's heart could take.

And the fifth was here, now, Kristen's arms wrapped around him, holding him up, keeping him from collapsing, and he couldn't even hug her back.

Every muscle in his body was limp, his head heavy.

Techno… his oldest friend, the man who had sworn to protect him. He had let him rush into battle for him time and time again, risking his life for the older man, and Phil had failed him.

His wings ached, stinging at the thought of failure, at the thought of his friend being hurt because of him.

He could almost smell the gunpowder.

Ranboo's hand was on his shoulder, long fingers twitching nervously. "I'm so sorry…" He whispered, voice coming out hoarse and shaky.

"No, you have nothing to apologise for," Phil muttered, standing up straight, finally. He had to get it together, had to put on a brave face. "We're going to get Techno back."

Kristen let out a shaky breath. "I can't leave…"

Phil shook his head. "I don't expect you to. Techno said you were important, you had a mission. I don't know what that was, but… I refuse to negotiate with Dream."

He drew himself up to his full height, his tattered wings spreading out. Ranboo's eyes were wide, and Kristen… smiled? It was faint, but fond, and Phil's heart bloomed.

"We're going to get Techno back."

  
  
  
  
  


Tommy hadn't expected this. He really hadn't. Technoblade was a great warrior, the best Tommy knew, and for him to have been taken like that…

Finn nudged him a bit. The brunet had come out to sit with him when he'd stepped outside, although neither of them had talked.

"You alright?" His voice was quiet, gentle, like he was talking to a kid.

Tommy scoffed, jerking a shoulder in an attempt of a shrug. "'Course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Finn hummed. "I dunno. If one of my friends went missing, I'd probably be pretty upset."

"...He wasn't my friend."

"Sure."

"He really wasn't," Tommy insisted. "He blew up the city."

Finn hummed again. "Yeah, he did."

Tommy stared at him. "He wasn't my friend."

Finn glanced at him, then, blue eyes sparkling with something. "You know, my friend Riza once managed to burn down an entire tree farm. It was mine, actually. I'd refused to go strip mining with her, and she burnt down my farm. It took me and my friend Cam nearly three weeks to get it all fixed."

Tommy frowned. "Ok, and?"

Finn shrugged. "And, she's still my friend. She was a bitch, sure, but she had her reasons, and I'm the one who technically started it. If she got kidnapped…" His face darkened. "I would fucking rip the poor bastard who took her to shreds."

Tommy laughed. "Are you trying to compare minor arson to terrorism?"

"Maybe," Finn shrugged. "You grew up with him, didn't you? He was kind of like a big brother, in a way, right?"

Tommy shuddered, Wilbur's laugh echoing through his head. "Brothers aren't always good."

Finn hesitated. "I knew him. Techno? We never really talked, but… he was friends with Skeppy, so he was friends with me. At one point, we teamed up for this challenge thing. I dressed up as him, but as like, a sexy anime girl," He laughed, shaking his head. "He called me a nerd, but he didn't get mad, didn't insult me."

There was a silence, before he spoke again.

"Even if you don't want to, I'm going to get Techno. I don't leave my friends to rot."

"... He's not-"

"-Not your friend, I know." Finn pushed himself to his feet, adjusting his jacket. "He's not your friend, he's your family, and I know you still care about him. You don't have to come, and I won't blame you if you don't, but you need to recognize that."

Tommy hesitated, still, glancing between Finn and the church door. The others were inside, talking, discussing.

He remembered when he had shown up at Techno's house, expecting to be turned away, hurt, killed. He wasn't. Techno had made him some soup, and combed his hair, and tucked him in. 

**"You never saw me as a friend."**

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut. "Okay. Okay, I'll join you."

Finn smiled, reaching out a hand to pull Tommy to his feet. The teen obliged, and they headed inside.

  
  
  
  
  


80 had curled in on himself, pressing his palms into his eyes hard enough he could see little blobs of color dance around. 

Everyone was shouting; confusion and rage echoing in the tiny shack. Someone yelled something, and it almost sounded like Chaz for a moment, but it wasn’t.

He wasn't there.

He was in the tournaments, fighting for his life. 

80 was in the Dream SMP, alone, and his friend was being held hostage.

Was Techno his friend? They'd gotten in fights, several times, and as number one and number two bedwars players, they were constantly being pitted against each other, but…

They were pretty similar, if you thought about it. The same flippant attitude, same dry humor. 80 started doing bedwars because he wanted to prove it wasn't that hard. Techno had started out of boredom, because he had nothing better to do. They didn't care about rivalry, or drama. They just wanted to win.

As soon as Technoblade cut off his streak, and 80 took first, they'd had some grudging respect for each other, even if they never really saw eye to eye. Techno moved on to skyblock, and 80 heard tales of the piglin absolutely conquering the competition. 

He'd laughed at the time, remembering their conversations, in between rounds, when Techno had insisted he really wasn't that competitive.

When they were sixteen, when they'd first met, Techno had told him he was going to be immortal. 

Now, he was in danger, and 80 didn't know what to do.

"We can leave," He said quietly, and everyone went silent, turning to look at him. He didn't look up, continuing. "We can't let him die, and if we find the others and get out… we win. We accomplish our goals, let Dream figure it out on his own."

"80…" Jordan's voice was cautious, gentle. "We can't just leave-"

"-Yeah, we can," 80 looked up then, eyes burning holes in the older man. "We can literally get out. I've got Purpled, you hunt down Tubbo, and we pray the others have their people, and we get the fuck out."

Velvet blinked at the curse- 80 had never been one for swearing- before he scowled. "What? Wait, why do you care so much? The guy's a terrorist!"

80 glared at him. "Yeah, maybe, but he's my friend."

Suddenly, Puffy sat up. "Wait. What if… what if we go rescue him?"

80 laughed, bitterly. "Against Dream? We don't stand a chance."

Puffy shrugged. "There's more of us."

"Hey," Sapnap said, slowly. "You might be onto something there. Dream's good, but if we can outnumber him…" He glanced at Ant, who was nodding.

Drista spoke up then, her bright green eyes flickering from face to face. "We'll help. I'm sick of doing nothing, and Dream's being a dick. I really want to deck him right now."

80 hesitated, before looking at the others. 

"Alright. Let's do this."

  
  
  
  
  


Punz knew something was wrong. He just didn't know what. 

After coming back from the mansion, he'd seen someone enter the woods. Someone who looked suspiciously like Technoblade. 

Still, what could he do? Dream had underhanded deals with half the server, and getting too curious would end up getting Punz killed.

He went to Sam, instead, helping him with the door he was putting on his tower.

"Thanks again for doing this," He muttered, watching the creeper work. "I don't know shit about redstone."

Sam shrugged. "I mean, you are paying me, it's not like I'm doing this for free."

Punz smirked. "You would've, if I hadn't insisted on payment."

"True…"

They sat together for a bit longer, Sam working on the pistons, Punz watching him, before he noticed two figures walking towards them. 

"Hey, Sam?" 

The creeper looked up, frowning until he noticed the men and lit up.

"Alex!"

Quackity grinned, his face changing a bit, rippling into a stranger, before going back to Jack's. 

"Hey, Sam," Jack nudged him, giving him a Look, and the taller man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to it."

“Getting to what?” Punz asked, crossing his arms and standing. At six feet tall, he towered over the other two, his trident slung over his back cutting an impressive silhouette.    
  


Jack shifted nervously. “Uh, we’re doing, a, uh, survey of sorts.”

“Oh?” Sam stood too, 7’4” of pure muscle and iron, and tugged off his leather gloves. “What kind of survey?”

Quackity and Jack glanced at each other before Quackity answered. “Have either of you seen anything… weird?”

_ Blood on his hands, in his mouth, on his clothes. _

“No.” Punz answered firmly.

Sam hesitated, solid black eyes shining in thought. “It… depends on what you would qualify as odd, I guess.”

Quackity’s face lit up. “Anything! What was it?”

Punz frowned at his friend, curiously. Sam’s jaw tensed, before he continued slowly, clearly uncomfortable with all this attention. “I… a few days ago, I was trying to dig, to clear land for the bank, and… It wasn’t working?”

“What?” Jack asked, glancing at Quackity as if seeking answers. Quackity looked just as confused as he did, though, frowning at the creeper.

“I mean, when I moved the dirt out of the way, it was… replaced? I got fourteen wheelbarrows of dirt, and the field didn’t change at all.”

Punz hesitated. That sounded like a glitch, one of the signs the server was collapsing… Dream had said they had a couple weeks, but this… 

Dream wouldn’t mind if he told a couple people, right? If he helped?

Jack clapped loudly. “Marvelous, thank you, Sam. We’ll be on our way, now!”

He and Quackity turned to leave, but Punz darted forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Wait. I think… I think I can help you.”

Quackity raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. “How so?”

“... I have information. For a price, of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> =punz has joined your party=
> 
> +1 information
> 
> +1 loyalty
> 
> -17 diamonds
> 
> shoutout to my creative writing teacher for informing me my plot was all over the place and "a bit shitty, all in all." thanks, mrs frost, you're the best.


	16. surrounded by strangers and standing alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> go get your gun by dear hunter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look, i'd love to say the reason this took so long was because i was making sure it was up to standard, but i was actually literally just writing an entire ponk centric fic i'll probably never post.
> 
> anyway. enjoy, i guess

Tommy was surrounded by strangers.

He wasn’t technically, he knew Skeppy, but… this wasn’t really Skeppy anymore, was it? Skeppy had been full of life, willing to argue with him over the littlest things, willing to put up with his childish babbling. This Skeppy was barely human, all tired sighs and weak shrugs.

The others, too, were foreign to him.

Finn was nice, but scary, his eyes sharp and his hands constantly on the handle of his knife. He moved easily, his face calm, occasionally cracking jokes to try and lift the mood, but it didn’t really do much to ease the tension.

Mega was silent- Finn had said he was a mute- the crimson vines curling around his neck trembling with every breath he took, his eyes dark and cautious, glowing with a strange wisdom. He was the one who had provided the coordinates to Dream’s base, which dug up so many questions Tommy wasn’t even sure how to phrase.

Boffy… Boffy was complicated. He was cold, and callous, but… that was nice, in a way. He was so different from Dream, who spoke in honey-sweet phrases, and gentle words that bit deeper than Tommy wanted to admit. Boffy was honest, and sharp, and didn’t try to hide his intentions with velvet curtains. He had put on his mask, again, but Tommy didn’t stop him. He wasn’t Dream, no matter what the dark parts of Tommy’s mind cried.

And then there was Deo. Deo had lied. He’d told Tommy they’d met on skyblock, but Tommy remembered something, something more. Black eyes, a blue hoodie, and a betrayal. 

_ “I, ----, swear I won’t betray TommyInnit.” _

A lie. It wasn’t Deo’s voice, though, it was British, and not quite deep enough.

He remembered other things; the smell of gasoline; a biting cold; and an unnaturally smooth, sweet voice, asking him to surrender.

He and Deo went back far before skyblock, he knew that much. He wasn’t sure why the older man had lied, but he was too scared to ask.

It was quiet, for a while, their footsteps deafeningly loud in the nothingness. Mega’s breathing was heavy, and Tommy almost wanted to tell him to shut the fuck up, but one glance at the other teen’s face silenced him. His lips were tinged in purple, his eyelids rimmed in red.

Finn noticed shortly after, apparently, and picked the boy up, carrying him bridal style for a while.

Tommy wondered where Tubbo was.

Boffy had said Tubbo’s father had come, right? Which meant that maybe, just maybe, he was with him? Safe? That was the optimistic point of view, but more realistically, Tubbo was holed up in his office, slaving over the paperwork, drinking cup after cup of cheap coffee until Hbomb, or Puffy, or Sam, or one of the many people on the server who had decided to adopt the poor kid decided to intervene.

They had said his mom was here.    
  
Tommy wondered if she had heard of Wilbur yet. If she’d met Phil, and heard of how he ran a sword through their eldest’s heart, and left the youngest to rot. Not that Tommy hadn’t deserved it. He was annoying, and brash, and weak, and in all honesty, he was glad his dad and Techno were away, so he couldn’t pester them with his uselessness.

He wasn’t even mad at them for blowing up L’Manburg, he realised.

He just wanted his family back.

“Tommy?”

He looked up. Deo had hung back to walk with him, glasses pulled down the bridge of his nose to reveal his eyes, hot and swirling pools of lava, burning with curiosity.

“Are you ok? You’ve been really quiet.”

“We’ve all been quiet.”

Deo hummed. “Yeah, but… you literally haven’t said a word in two hours.”

Tommy glanced up at the sky. Had it really been that long? It felt like they hadn’t been walking for more than thirty minutes, but the sun dipped in the sky, the shadows thrown by the trees darkening the forest. “Oh. Sorry.”   
  


Deo shrugged. “It’s ok, just… uncharacteristic of you.”

“Of the old me,” Tommy muttered. “I’ve changed a lot, you know.” He snapped his jaw shut, expecting the man to get upset, but…

“Oh, believe me, I know.”

Suddenly, Skeppy stopped, looking around.

“Here’s a good place to wait for the others,” He sat on the ground, leaning against a tree. “We can eat some food, in the meantime.”

Tommy and Deo glanced at each other one last time, before sitting as well.

“...Ruby?” Finn asked, voice small. “Are you… are you sure this is the right place?”

Tommy had to agree, it did not look as impressive as he expected. A sheer cliff, over a dark forest wasn’t Dream’s usual style- he expected glowstone, or some form of dark, evil architecture- but Mega nodded confidently.

‘The egg says this is where we need to be.’

At the mention of the egg, Finn sat up, his eyes going to Boffy. “Hey, by the way, how did you know about the crimson? You managed to completely dodge that question, earlier.”

Boffy hesitated, fingers entwining in his lap, his head tilting slightly. “I… like I said, I got stuck in a glitched server. The admin shut it down because the egg got too powerful, I got in, and I fucked around before leaving.”

“How’d you get in the server, though?”    
  


“...”

Deo cleared his throat. “Finn, it doesn’t matter, does it-?”

“No, it does,” Finn leaned forward. “Because if he’s getting in servers, he knows shit.”

Boffy shrugged. “Look, I might be an Admin, but only faintly.”

‘No,’ Mega signed, suddenly looking very interested in the conversation. ‘I’m a full blood Admin, and even I don’t have the power to get into closed servers. You are either very very powerful, or…’

“A hacker.” Deo finished, his voice quiet. Something in Tommy’s mind buzzed at the word, a strange adrenaline, but none of the others looked pleased, especially not Boffy.

He glanced around the group before sighing and leaning against a tree, his body going limp. “Ok, so… I am an Admin. I didn’t lie about that. My great great whatever was one of the earliest ones, so I’m, like, direct decent. I don’t… I don’t hack, I swear, I just-”

Finn scoffed. “You realise how suspicious that sounds, right? ‘I don’t hack, but’?”

“Shut the fuck up and let me finish. I don’t hack. I figured out a way to… access the code, without accessing the code. It’s like pulling at the threads of the fabric. I don’t use it for anything big, and I can’t control what happens, but shit like… gravity reverses, or all creatures attack you. Sometimes, I just fuck around, and play god for a bit. I never do it on active servers, just ones that had been shut down.”

Tommy hummed. “Can you do that with our world?”

“No,” Boffy shook his head. “Or, I can, but… the fabric’s too loose. One tug at the thread, and it all comes undone.”

“Fuck.”

Skeppy spoke up, suddenly. “Can you hack though?”

“Yeah. Not really well, and I only do it when I have no other options, but yeah.”

Tommy sighed quietly, pulling his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them. “Ok, so can you get rid of the egg?”

“... Probably.”

“Good enough, I guess.”

Suddenly, everyone’s comms pinged, except for Skeppy’s, and they all froze, staring at each other tensely, before Mega moved to pull his out, his eyebrows pulling together.

**VelvetIsACake: We only have 10 minutes left**

**Kr1szA: Phil, Ranboo and I are on our way, but we won’t be there in time.**

**MegaPVP: boffy, deo, tommy, ruby, finn and i are there already.**

**MegaPVP: should we go inside?**

**CaptainSparklez: NO. Too dangerous. Wait.**

**gamerboy80: we don’t have time.**

**gamerboy80: go in.**

**CaptainSparklez: No, don’t!**

**Boffy: were going in**

Boffy stood abruptly, Finn following suit immediately. The two started to walk towards the mountain, leaving the other four to rush after them.

“The Captain is right,” Deo muttered. “We can’t beat Dream in a fight.”

Tommy hesitated. It hadn’t occurred to him that he’d have to fight Dream. His stomach churned, and he paused in his walking. Finn turned to look at him in concern, but he shook his head, speeding up his pace. He wasn’t weak.

He couldn’t be weak.

Dream couldn’t be right, not about this.

He wasn’t weak, he was TommyInnit, Big Man, founder of L’Manburg, son of the Angel of Death. 

He ignored the whispers in his head that disagreed.

It was Mega who found the switch, no doubt after being told by the egg, however that worked. He flipped it and they watched the floor pull away, and they entered the elevator.

Tommy shivered as they descended. It was cold, and dry, and he wore nothing but a red t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts.

Dream was waiting for them.

He stood patiently in the center of the huge room, his arms crossed over his chest, his hair pulled back in a high ponytail, his axe slung over his back. He looked so casual, so calm, so unconcerned.

Tommy felt bile rise in his throat.

Suddenly, he was back in Logstedshire, the sound of waves on the beach, the smell of ash in his nose. 

Then Boffy tapped his hand, gently, a simple rap on his knuckles, and he was back. 

He was surrounded by strangers, but wasn’t that better than being alone?

He saw Techno, then. He was kneeling beside Dream, his head down, his shoulders limp. He swayed a bit, and when he looked up, Tommy saw the gash on his forehead. He didn’t sneer, or glare, or anything, he just stared, blankly.

Tommy felt his head swim with more emotions than he knew what to do with.

He hadn’t seen Techno in a while, not since Doomsday, when he’d stood on the ashes of Tommy’s home and smiled at him, not since he had destroyed everything Tommy- everything Wilbur- had lived for. At the time, Tommy had been furious, and heartbroken, and more betrayed than he’d ever felt in his life, but… 

Now he was just so sad.

Techno was his hero, once.

Deo took a step forward, carefully.

“Dream.”

“Hi,” Dream nodded at the warrior beside him. “You’re here to save the poor little piggy?”

Finn snarled at him. “Yeah. And you’re going to hand him over.”

Dream laughed at that, a sharp, grating sound. “Oh, no, I don’t think so.”

Boffy’s hands clenched, but he had no other reaction. “You realise how counterproductive this is, right? You want to save your server, so do we. So, maybe, just maybe, we should work together.”

“No,” Dream said, tilting his head. “You’ll just get in my way.”

Tommy stepped back a bit, at that, and- to his surprise- Mega moved, so he was standing in front of him. Protecting him? No, he didn’t realise he did it, he was just shifting position.

He didn’t know Tommy, there was no reason to try and protect him.

“So,” Boffy started, moving forward, slowly, casually, stepping off of the elevator, tilting his at the taller man. “I guess we’re at an impasse.”

“I guess so…”

Tommy suddenly realised how different they were.

The way Dream held himself… he wasn’t concerned, he wasn’t intimidated. He viewed Boffy as one would view a stray dog. If necessary, he could get rid of it, but until then… so what? Everything about him screamed nonchalance, screamed power.

Boffy was skin and bones, held together with wire and fear. He hadn’t relaxed once since Tommy met him yesterday. Rage flowed through his veins. He was a stray, yes, but he’d been something else before. This wasn’t a house dog who’d gotten out. This was a fighter. A dog used to pain and violence.

Dream wasn’t scared and Boffy was, but they both had power. They both knew what they were doing.

They both knew they would win.

Tommy wasn’t so sure.

“Hmmm,” Dream adjusted his mask. “What’s your name?”

“Boffy.”

“Ok, Boffy. I’ll give you a chance. You can get out. You, and Tommy, and Skeppy, and your other friends. I’ll even let you have Techno! You get out of my base, and out of my server, and let me handle this.”

“No.”

“Oh, come on,” Dream sighed. “I’m trying to help you, here, Boffy. I’m trying to be a good guy.”

Boffy stepped forward again. “No.”

“No… what?”

Boffy shook his head. He was only a few feet away from Dream now, and Tommy wanted to shout at him to get back, to stop, but he couldn’t speak, could only watch. “No, you’re not trying to be a good guy, you’re just trying to benefit. All you do is lie to people, and hurt them, and you cover up with the claim of good intentions.”

Dream laughed. “Ok, so, you psychoanalyzed me? What’s that supposed to do, make me repent.”

“No,” Boffy’s voice suddenly curled, his smile audible in his words. “It was supposed to distract you.”

Dream’s body tensed, and he spun, but it was too late. Techno launched himself forward, stumbling onto the elevator and slapping the button. As the lift began to move, he made eye contact with Tommy, and the teen smiled at him, sadly. He nodded back, and then he was gone.

Dream sighed, turning back to Boffy. “Ok, that was clever. You took my bargaining chip.” He nodded, calmly, before his hand flew out, his fist slamming into Boffy’s mask, sending him sprawling. 

Tommy let out a squeak, and Dream’s head turned to him.    
  
“Hello, Tommy. How are you? Still a coward, I see.”

“Shut up…” Tommy tried to hide the shake in his voice, tried to hide the way his stomach twisted. 

Deo stepped forward then, his hand tightening on the hilt of the enchanted gold sword that hung from his waist. “Leave him alone.”

Dream laughed. “You guys are so eager to protect him, oh my god…”

Boffy was standing now, although he swayed on his feet. His mask was broken, pieces of porcelain sticking out of his cheek, but he was grinning. “Yeah, douchebag. It’s called being a decent fucking human.”

“Mmmmm…” Dream looked at him, hands fluttering up to tighten his ponytail as he shrugged. “It’s called being stubborn, maybe.”

Suddenly, Finn let out a gasp, staring at the cage set in the wall, and the sign that hung on it.

‘Skeppy.’

Skeppy didn’t look phased, or surprised. In fact, he just looked a bit annoyed. “You were going to put me in there?”

“Yeah. Needed something to motivate Bad. It was nothing personal, you understand.”

Skeppy nodded a bit. “No, I don’t. You’re a terrible person.”

“Thank you,” Dream inclined his head slightly toward him, before turning back to the others. “So. You guys got Techno. You can leave, you know.”

“No,” Finn’s voice was low, dangerous. “Not until we know you’re not going to try anything else.”

“Pfft,” Dream chuckled. “And how are you going to do that, kill me?”

There was a pause before Boffy shrugged. “I mean, why not.”

Dream’s axe was out, barely in time to block Boffy’s attack, and he stepped back, causing the boy to overbalance.

Boffy swung again, and the fight really began.

Dream was the best fighter on the smp, except for maybe Techno. Boffy was good, and fast, his blows strong and solid, but he wasn’t one for defense. He dodged, sure, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Suddenly Finn darted forward, pulling out a pair of knives, and Deo and Mega joined them.

Tommy almost joined, but a hand on his elbow stopped him.

Skeppy shook his head, eyes dark. “No, this isn’t your fight.”

Tommy opened his mouth to argue, but the smaller man just shook his head again and pulled him back.

He turned to watch. They all fought so differently, and it was almost a shock to watch them fight.

On the SMP, everyone had learned the same way, from the same people. Occasionally, people put on their own spins- Fundy was better at defense than anyone else, Jack used his size to his advantage, George was an incredible dodger- but everyone fought pretty much the same.

Boffy was strong, his movements controlled, measured, simple.

Deo didn’t move as much, waiting for gaps in Dream’s defense.

  
Finn was quick, fluid, ducking and twirling under attacks and defense alike.

Mega… Mega was incredible. He moved with a precision, his sword spinning in his hands. He pushed Dream back, forced him to block and dodge swing after swing, but…

Dream was still better.

He blocked, and dodged, and spun, and then he had knocked Finn’s knives away, then he had tripped Deo, then he had shoved Boffy back, then he had Mega.

Tommy darted forward, to Deo’s side, eyes pleading. Luckily, the man only seemed winded, and brushed him off, stumbling to his feet.

Dream was holding Mega by the back of the neck like a cat, one of Finn’s knives pressed to his throat. He watched Finn freeze, watched Tommy and Deo grab at each other, watched Boffy sway. And he laughed.

“You guys are way too confident.”

“Shut up.” Deo muttered.

The elevator hummed to life, then and they all stilled, eyes moving to it.

It was Techno, again, but this time…

Phil stared down at Dream, his eyes so unnaturally cold, his face frozen in rage, and he snarled. Ranboo’s eyes met Tommy’s before widening, a strange mix of fear and relief flooding his expression. The woman with them…

Her hair was the same color as Wilburs, but she had the same nose as Tommy.

He felt his chest freeze as her eyes met his.

His mother.

Deo let out a shaky breath. “Hey Kristen.”

“Hello, Deo,” Her voice was calm, but ice cold with an amount of rage Tommy had never heard before. “How are you guys?”

Boffy laughed wetly- oh, his lungs were not ok- “We’re doing great ma’am. You will not believe this, but Dream’s a dick.”

“Oh, really?” She stepped off the elevator, moving forward.

Dream pressed the knife to Mega’s throat even tighter. “Hi Miss Watson. How’re the kids?”

Kristen snarled, but stopped. “Shut up, bastard.”

Tommy felt a nervous laugh bubble from his chest and she looked at him in surprise. “Fucking tell him, mom.”

Her eyes sparkled, and a small smile appeared on her lips. Then her eyes snapped back to Dream, and her gaze hardened. “Phil?”

Phil stepped forward, hand on his sword. “Mmm?”

“How far away are the others?”

“‘Bout two minutes.”

“Oh, lovely,” She smiled at Dream, “There you go. Two minutes before you die. I’d recommend letting go of Mega, calling your mother, maybe praying to God. Five minutes isn’t a lot of time.”

Dream laughed, hard. “Oh, come on. You don’t really think I’m scared of you?”

“Oh, I know you’re not, but that’s your mistake.”

Dream chuckled again, but he let go of Mega, shoving him forward. The boy crashed into Skeppy, who caught him as best he could.

“Ok, so, I let go of Mega. What else did you recommend? Praying to god?”

Techno moved toward Tommy, slowly, and the boy tensed, fingers tightening on Deo’s sleeve, but the warrior shook his head, just leaning down. He looked better, his face less pale. Instant health, Tommy thought. 

“When the elevator comes down, you’re going to sprint to it,” his voice was low, low enough Dream couldn’t hear it, but it was still harsh enough that Tommy flinched. “You’re going to get out.”

“No,” Tommy muttered back. “No, I’m staying.”

Techno frowned, but they were cut off by a laugh from Dream.

“So, call my mother, you said?” He beamed. “I might do that, actually. My moms have been a bit busy with my brothers, it’s quite sad.”

“Aww, does the psychopath have mommy issues?” Finn spat.   
  


Dream laughed again. “No, Finnster, I just haven’t talked to her in a while.”

“Ok, we can change that.”

Everyone spun to the elevator, where Puffy stood, her hands on her hips, her eyes cold.

“...Shit.” Dream muttered.

“Yeah, hey duckling,” Puffy stepped forward before the elevator was all the way down, moving to stand beside Kristen and Phil. “Hey Ruby, hi Tommy. You doing good, kid?”

“No,” Tommy said honestly. “Your son’s a bitch.”

She nodded. “Sorry to hear that.”

Tommy glanced at the small crowd behind her. Some he recognized, Ponk, Purpled, Antfrost, Sapnap, but others were strangers. Four of them, though…

“Drista?”

Drista nodded, her sad face mask firmly on her face, her red hoodie’s sleeves pulled up to her elbows. “Hey Tommy.”

Mexican Dream and Girl Dream were there too, alongside another who he didn’t recognize. They all smiled and waved, and he felt something in his mind settle.

As Sapnap stepped forward, dragging a sword from his belt, Tommy stepped back, noticing how Techno leaned to the side a bit, so as to not block Tommy’s view, but still stay between him and Dream, Tommy realised something.

He wasn’t safe. He might never be safe again.

But being surrounded by strangers was so much better than being alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmfaooo dream really thought his mom wouldn't help beat him up if he was being a little bitch.
> 
> also, yes, dream, tubbo and foolish are brothers don't @me


	17. a girl who isn't, and her thoughts on life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very short drista chapter because i hated the original chapter.
> 
> would you guys be interested in a powers smp fic? because jack and tommy's interactions are so solid gold and i love them so much.

The girl remembered very little about her time as a human.

She remembered joining the server, alongside the others. She remembered her brother, Clay, with his stupid wheeze-cackle of a laugh and ugly green hoodie. She remembered George, with his high pitched shrieking. She remembered Sapnap, who taught her how to set fires, and Sam, who ruffled her hair and called her kiddo, and Ponk, who built a shitty lemon tree in her backyard, and Callahan, who kept rubbing in it her face how he had admin rights before her, and Alyssa, who taught her to braid her hair.

She remembered the Others, but not really, not enough.

She remembered the first glitch, when people started joining, when Clay shrugged, and insisted it would be fine.

It wasn’t.

One day, she was standing on the beach, and then, she wasn’t. She was nowhere, nothing, the code that connected her to the server gone, severed.

She was nothing.

And then she was again. No, she still wasn’t, there was no code to tie her to the server, but she still was there. A player without code. She herself was a bug, a glitch. She couldn’t risk being exposed, being exterminated.

So she watched. She watched her brother destroy everything, burn his own server to the ground, watched him turn away from his friends, leave them in the dust, cut all ties, throw away everything he cared about in the name of power.

One day, after the dust settled, after L’Manburg had been recovered, she found herself talking to someone for the first time in years.

Tommy was a bitch, but he was funny. He was cool. He talked to her, and when she told him the Secret, the thing she was most terrified to share, the fact that her brother was the monster who had torn this server apart; he didn’t push her away.

“You’re nothing like him.”

He gave her a name that day. 

Drista.

She liked it.

He forgot her in the chaos of the exile, and she couldn’t blame him.

Nearly a year later, she met The-Man-Who-Wasn’t. He was standing on the shore, staring out to sea, tattered wings folding on his back. Almost out of habit, she called out, and He turned.

He wasn’t, either.

They lived together, in a tiny little shack. She never asked for a name, and He never gave one. He was simply Himself, and she was herself, and that’s really all that mattered, wasn’t it? Names were a formality, and Drista was more of a title, something special between her and Tommy.

She’d missed having an older brother, she found.

The-Man-Who-Wasn’t was nothing like Clay, in all honesty. His eyes were dull, mellowed, usually bloodshot. He was confident in an odd way where she wasn’t sure whether He was bluffing or not, and He failed at nearly everything time and time again, His only real skill being the ability to make her laugh unfailingly. He was weird, and He was annoying.

He was just as much a brother to her as Clay.

Maybe even moreso.

When they found The-Woman-Who-Wasn’t in the woods, they decided something was wrong. The chances of three people not being? That was something that wasn’t supposed to happen ever, let alone this many times on one server.

They kept watching. 

They had no answers, and no idea what was happening.

Then The-Man-Who-Never-Had-Been appeared.

He wasn’t from this server, he explained in a strange, twisted, glitchy voice. He was from everywhere, and nowhere. Unlike the other three, he wasn’t removed from any code. He had simply never been.

The-Man-Who-Wasn’t had laughed. “Ahh, nah, man. That’s where you’re wrong. You are, just as much as we are. You are part of the barrio now. And that’s where you’ll stay. No leaving us, man. Alright?”

He had hesitated, but agreed.

She thought he would be gone within weeks.

He wasn’t.

One day, The-Man-Who-Wasn’t and The-Woman-Who-Wasn’t went to check on Tommy, prompted by the girl, and came back with questions.   
  


“He named us. Mexican Dream and Girl Dream. I have no idea what he’s talking about.”

They discovered that none of the people-who-were could hear The-Man-Who-Never-Had-Been. One of the people, Quackity, reported it sounded like some sort of heavy breathing, with static thrown in. Quackity was also the one who gifted The-Man-Who-Never-Had-Been with his name.

Shitass.

Quackity was the only they interacted with, outside of their little circle.   
  
He was odd, and angry, but he didn’t run screaming. At one point, The-Man-Who-Wasn’t asked him why he wasn’t scared, and he shrugged.

“I mean, you guys are fucking freaks and all that shit, but who am I to judge? I don’t even have a face.”

His husbands were odd too. One of them, Sapnap, she remembered, remembered from the beginning, but the other, Karl…

He was tearing the code apart, and he didn’t even know it.

When Tommy came back, she visited him, once, before doomsday, and they sat together in silence for a while.

“Are you real?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“How do you define real?”

“... Can you think? Are you… separate from me?”

“Yes, Tommy, I’m separate.”

“Ok.”

Tommy leaned his head against her shoulder then, and she wrapped an arm around him, and he was so much taller than her, but he felt so small, and she cursed Clay then, for all the bullshit he’d pulled.

The new people joined a week later, and the four had something new to worry about.

She kept notes.

Mega, the small one, the silent one. He was angry, at first, but then he went into the tunnel, and came out without his Fire.

Finn, the tall one, with the knives. He was loud, and emotional, but he knew what he was doing. He was no stranger to war.

Deo, the loyal one, the sad one. She wasn’t sure why he lied to Boffy about where he’d met Tommy, but she wasn’t sure she cared.

Boffy was barely older than her, but he was also so much older, so much more tired. His body crackled with energy, with power. She almost remembered him, but she didn’t know how that was possible.

80 wasn’t trustworthy. He was too smart, too clever, although his brother, Purpled, seemed to believe him.

The Captain, she trusted completely. He was kind, and gentle, and he carried Tubbo home, and let him sleep.

Kristen, the mother. She hadn’t told Phil yet, hadn’t told him who her family was, and she probably never would. That’s fine, she didn’t need to.

Velvet, the last one, was completely smitten by Ant. He didn't really understand the severity of the situation, he only wanted to get his boyfriend and get out, and in all honesty, she couldn't blame him.

Then the others messaged her to inform her that they'd brought the newcomers home, and it all went downhill.

It wasn't all of them, just the Captain, 80 and Velvet, along with some of the other people. Eight in all. She didn't like it, but she could do nothing about it.

Then Clay took Technoblade, and she realized she couldn't keep being neutral. She couldn't not do something.

So here she stood, aiming her crossbow at her own brother’s heart, standing in front of Tommy, if just slightly, absolutely prepared to pull the trigger.

And for once in her memory, Drista was really truly mad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry this took so long, but i love you guys! real chapter coming soon, i promise.


	18. the worth of a soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> despicable by grandson (specifically, the acoustic version)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is not a canon chapter tbh. i wrote it a couple weeks ago, and wasn't planning to add it, but while i'm working on the next real one, figured i would post this.
> 
> shout out to kara, who didn't really do anything, she's just a very good friend.
> 
> EDIT: this is now canon, i ended up liking it too much to not canonize it.
> 
> !!!trigger warning for animal death, child abuse, abandonment and suicidal ideation!!!

When Boffy was 4, he accidentally killed his neighbor’s dog, an annoying little thing named Frou-Frou. He barely remembered it. He didn’t remember it at all, actually, but he remembered his mom screaming at him, and his dad pushing him over, and his wrist was bleeding from the bite the thing had given him.

He didn’t regret killing the dog, he thought, but he did regret getting caught.

The bite never really healed right, for some reason, which he wasn’t sure he understood. He sat on the bathroom floor for hours, an old towel wrapped around his arm, shaking a bit from adrenaline, and blood loss, and fear.

Years later, someone told him that the wound probably should’ve gotten stitched up. It could’ve sliced a tendon or opened an artery. He could’ve died, or lost his hand. As is, he just got a terrible, jagged scar. He got lucky.

His dad called him a pussy, and wrapped his arm up in bandages, and told him to shut the fuck up. He did, and sat in his room for the rest of the day staring at the wall.

His parents weren’t very nice to him.

When he was 5, he was messing around in the hub and accidentally opened a portal and wandered through. He didn’t remember how that happened, but he knew that once he was through, he wasn’t getting out.

It was awful there, with strange creatures he didn’t know the name of swarming him and hurting him. 

He was 6 when he figured out how to kill things on purpose. A kobold, a strange lizard-like creature that was stuck in a pit outside of his house. That was his first meat in a year, even if he had to eat it raw.

He got sick from it, but he figured out how to cook it the next time. Logically, he knew he should feel bad for killing it, he remembered that from the dog incident, but… He really didn’t care.

He decided later on he had favorite animals. Not to keep, not as pets, but to kill.

Cows, for example. They were dumb, and ugly, and their eyes were unnerving. One day, Boffy killed one, and pulled out its eyes, and he felt like god.    
  
Kobolds were fun, purely because of how hard they were to catch. They were sneaky and knew how to get past him, but he was better than them, and could always catch up to them in the end. 

Zoataurs were cool too. Their eye-sight was awful, so he could sneak up on them, and- if he managed to take them by surprise- he could usually hack through their thick hides before they really understood what was happening.

Boffy liked killing things. It made him seem powerful.

Then, the new kid arrived, and he wasn’t sure what to do, other than kill him. So, he did.

He slit his throat, watched the blood pour out, and turned to leave, but then the boy’s body vanished with a pop, and he froze, staring at the ground where the corpse had once laid. Of fucking course he could respawn too.

Tommy appeared at his base that night, knocking on the plank of wood that functioned as a door. He asked if he could come in, and Boffy had no choice but to let him stay the night.

He was going to kill the boy in his sleep, but then Tommy started talking, and Boffy had no choice but to listen.

Tommy was nothing like him. He was warm, and his laugh was loud, infectious, his smile lighting up his whole face. He liked sweet food, and couldn’t handle spice. He talked about his family, about his dad, who was a famous explorer, and his mom, who was a teacher, and his brother, who wrote music. He loved his family, and he hated mushroom stew, and he liked the color red.

Boffy was quiet, and cold. He didn’t really laugh, didn’t really smile. He ate super spicy food on purpose, because it made his tongue blister, and sugar made him nauseous. He refused to even think about his family, his dad’s fists, and his mom’s shouting. He hated his family, and he loved mushroom stew, and his favorite color was ivory white.

Tommy didn’t like killing things, they realised after a week or so. 

It wasn’t like he was overly compassionate, it wasn’t like he went vegan, and he was actually a better hunter than Boffy, to an extent, but… that was it. He hunted, he didn’t kill for fun.

Boffy didn’t like Tommy, he told himself, but Tommy refused to leave. He followed Boffy around like a shadow, talking the whole time. Boffy hated it, but he didn’t kill him, didn’t stop him.

Tommy told him he was probably a psychopath, a word his dad’s friend Technoblade taught him, meaning he didn’t have a sense of morality, he didn’t feel remorse for his actions. He acted out of boredom and vengeance alone. Boffy wanted to argue, wanted to defend himself, but…

He was right, wasn’t he?

Boffy just fucked around, not really caring what happened to him, not really caring if things died.

He just didn’t care.

One night, he asked Tommy if that made him a bad person, and Tommy didn’t respond for a while, just laying there in silence, before speaking. 

“No, I don’t think so. You don’t have morals, and you kill things for fun, and you’re a dick, but… I think you’re ok. You’re my friend.”

“Even the worst bad guys have friends.”

“... Well, then, I guess no one’s really bad.”

Boffy looked at him. At the way his pale yellow hair stuck up funny, the way his eyes shone with a strange genuine light he’d never seen on a human before, the way his lips curved up a bit in a smile, and then he realised what he’d just said.

“Wait. I’m… your friend?”

Tommy laughed, his obnoxious cackle lighting up the small room. “Yeah, of course, man!”

Later on, when Tommy got cornered by fire salamanders, Boffy stepped in. 

They fucked up his face, leaving him with dark scars that ran across his cheeks, his nose, splitting one of his eyebrows. They were the kind of scars that stuck with him through respawn, but he didn’t care. Afterwards, Tommy asked him why he did it, and he shrugged. 

“It’s what friends do, right?”

They got out, not long after that. For some reason, Boffy hadn’t considered what getting out would entail, where that would leave him, but now…

He almost missed the private server.

He didn’t go home, to his parents, and the smell of beer and weed, and the lines of white that trailed over the coffee table and the heating that never worked in the winter, and his pile of rags in the bathroom closet that he called a bed. He couldn’t return to that hellhole, so he stayed in the hub, sleeping on a park bench. 

Tommy went home to his family, to his father, who sobbed in relief, and his mother, who hugged him, and his brother, who ruffled his hair, and Tommy didn’t look back.

Boffy learned to open portals into abandoned worlds, two-way this time, so he wouldn't be sealed in. He learned how to change the world, add things, warp reality to what he wanted. 

He brought Tommy once, but the blond wasn’t interested in his newfound power, instead happily telling him about his new best friends, Deo and Wisp and Luke and Tubbo.

Boffy had no friends. 

He had nothing.

One day, he snapped, and he told Tommy that if he would rather hang out with his shiny new friends, with their nice houses and friendly families, and pretty faces, and normal morals, and perfect brains, then he didn’t have to keep showing up. Boffy didn’t need pity.

Tommy disappeared after that. Boffy didn’t think much of it, in all honesty. He’d literally told Tommy to fuck off, and he did. It hurt, but it wasn’t a surprise.

If he could, he would leave himself too.

And then, nearly two years later, a week after Boffy’s fifteenth birthday, Tommy had sent the message.

**TommyInnit: Sorry for not messaging you. I’ve decided to move here permanently. Thank you for the happy memories, I’ll miss you.**

Boffy had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

Where was he moving? What happy memories? Had he sent this to the wrong person? 

Not long after that, Deo sent him a message.

Boffy had heard of Deo.

The guy seemed to know everything about skyblock, every exploit, every cheat. Tommy loved him so much, admired him and his knowledge. They fought a war together, Tommy had explained, and smiled as Boffy made an impressed noise (it was fake, he wasn’t impressed, but he desperately needed Tommy to stick around and if lying kept his friend around, he would lie.)

Deo said Tommy was missing, and Boffy decided he didn’t care about Tommy, but Deo did, and he didn’t care about Deo, but Tommy did, so he helped.

When Callahan had told them what was going on, that Tommy was going to die, Boffy didn’t care. He really really didn’t, he didn’t, he didn’t, but he walked through the portal.

When he found Tommy at the crater, saw the snarl on his face, saw how broken he was, some deep, sick part of Boffy was elated, ecstatic that Tommy finally felt his pain, knew how it felt to be alone. Sitting in the cave, listening to Deo tell half truths, returning the favour with half a true story, he realised something.

Once they got out, Tommy was going to leave him again. He was going to go home to his family, and Deo, and Boffy was going to go back to switching gravity, and seeing how much he hurt himself without actually dying, and they would never speak again.

He knew that, and he knew it would break his heart, but when Tommy sat on the bench beside him the next morning, and it felt like home, he decided he didn’t care.

As long as Tommy was happy, Boffy could deal with loneliness.

So he risked his life to get Techno free, and he fought Dream, and he felt his ribs break, and he watched as Deo and Techno and Phil moved to protect Tommy, and he tasted bitter tears on his lips, and for once, Boffy cared.

As long as Tommy was alright, he was willing to let himself die, bit by bit.    
  


Boffy was expendable.

Tommy was not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the alternate title for this one is: "toby projects on c!boffy for 1773 words because ra has too many emotions."


	19. im sorry mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> au revoir (adios) by the front bottoms
> 
> or!
> 
> class of 2013 by mitski

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmm. puffy.
> 
> shoutout to icy, i would die for you.
> 
> love you guys!

Puffy wasn’t sure she understood what was going on. 

Technically, she did, they had filled her in as well as they could, but it was still murky around the edges.

Tubbo’s biological father, Jordan, was a good man, she could tell, but…

She cared more about her sons than anything.

They weren’t really her sons. Tubbo was the only one she’d legally adopted, and Dream and Foolish were both adults, they could easily live on their own, they didn’t need her, but… 

The way Dream had followed her around the first day, watching her work, watching her move, made her entire being glow with love and the desperate need to keep him safe. 

He obviously hadn’t cared. He called her mom, and lived with her, and let her brush his hair, but then he joined Techno, and destroyed everything, and vanished. She hadn’t blamed him, at first, until she overheard Tommy tell Tubbo what he had done to him in exile, and in her mind, her son was gone, replaced by a stranger.

Foolish didn’t even show up until after Doomsday.

She wasn’t sure where he came from, and at the time, she didn’t care. Now that she knew more, she knew he was probably from the hub, and only joined then, although she couldn’t figure out why or how.

He was sweet, when she showed him around, listening to her, joking around.

She liked him immediately, and despite him being only a month younger than her, she jokingly announced herself to be his father, and he happily agreed.

He didn’t talk to her much, he was so busy with his temple, but… she smiled as she thought of him. 

Her boy. 

Her son.

She knew how Jordan felt. No, that’s not true. Losing Dream shattered her heart, and he wasn’t even really gone. She couldn’t imagine how it must’ve felt for his son to go missing, and not even remember him.

She couldn’t imagine how he felt when she said she’d adopted his only son.

He walked ahead of her, following Sapnap closely, eyes on the ground. She tapped him on the shoulder and he jolted, turning a bit to look at her in confusion.

“Hey. I’m… I’m sorry, man.”

He frowned, slowing down a bit to walk beside her. “For what?”

She huffed. “I don’t know, stealing your kid?”

His eyes sparkled at that, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips. “Stealing my kid?”

“Well,” She shrugged. “You know what I mean.”

He nodded, but his smile didn’t fade. “Yeah, sure. Is… Isn’t Dream your kid too? How’s that work?”

“Hell if I know. We met… a couple years back. I was a couple years older, couple years wiser, and he was a dumb kid. I decided to keep an eye on him. I didn’t raise him, not really, but… he was my duckling, and I was his mom, and now…”

He hummed. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh,” She chuckled, but it was dark. “You have nothing to be sorry for, he’s dead to me.”

Drista was listening in. Puffy wasn’t sure why, but the way her head stayed still, the way she slowed to stay close enough, it was obvious she was trying to listen in. Puffy sighed, glancing at her meaningfully, and the Captain nodded.

“Hey, Drista? Anything to add?”

The girl jumped, glancing back at them in panic. “Uh-”

Puffy shook her head. “It’s ok. Were you close with Dream? Back in the beginning? Your mask looks really close to his.”

Drista’s hand moved up to her mask self-consciously, almost to take it off. “Yeah, it’s… uh…” Her voice went quiet. “It was one of his.”

Puffy raised an eyebrow. “You were friends?”

“Something like that,” Drista muttered, shoving her hands in her pockets. “He’s changed though. I don’t like to think about it.”

“Makes sense,” The Captain hummed. “Don’t worry about it, kid. A lot of people were friends with him, I think.”

His eyes darted to Sapnap, and Puffy nodded.

Drista nodded. “Yeah, he was… likeable, I guess.”

“We’re here!” Sapnap grinned nervously, running a hand over the cliff face. 

“How’d you know this was here, anyway?” 80 asked, mismatched eyes scanning the area carefully.

Sapnap shrugged. “Dream has a pattern. A base in every biome. After Dog Stab Day, George and I went out, found all the bases we could, marked ‘em down. This one is the only one Dream hasn’t used for something else, his newest. He built it for something, and I’m thinking this is it.”

“The others are already inside,” Ponk glanced around. “Do we… I don’t know, go in now?”

Puffy nodded resolutely. “Yeah. We go in now.”

She felt Ant’s hand ghost hers as they climbed onto the elevator, but when she turned to look at him, his eyes were fixed on the ground, ears back. She blinked, before linking their pinkies together, a silent promise that she was going to keep him safe. He didn’t look up, but his shoulders loosened a bit.

The elevator started moving, and everyone took in a deep breath.

Ironically, the first thing she heard was her name.

No, that’s not exactly true, it wasn’t her name, but it was something that meant that, when spoken by that voice, in that tone.

“My moms have been a bit busy with my brothers,” Her duckling said, lightly. “It’s quite sad.” 

“Aww, does the psychopath have mommy issues?” A bitter voice, dripping with rage.   
  


Laughter. “No, Finnster, I just haven’t talked to her in a while.”

“Ok, we can change that.”

She watched them spin, staring at the eleven figures in the elevator, at her, and she felt her heart swell in rage as she saw the bruises on these kid’s faces, and  _ what the fuck the one with the broken mask couldn’t be more than fifteen, why was he cradling his ribs like that, his face was gushing blood, this was not fucking okay. _

“...Shit.” Dream muttered, his shoulders tensing.

“Yeah, hey duckling,” Puffy hopped off the elevator, stepping forward to stand beside Phil and… his wife? She glanced around, taking stock of everyone, before focusing on two people specifically. “Hey Ruby, hi Tommy. You doing good, kid?”

“No,” Tommy said, his voice hoarse and quiet. “Your son’s a bitch.”

She nodded. “Sorry to hear that.”

His eyes flitted past her, focusing on each of them in turn, before widening suddenly. “Drista?”

“Hey Tommy.”

Dream hadn’t moved from where he stood in the middle, shoulders hunched, sword drawn.

“So, Dream, what’s the plan now?” Sapnap’s voice was sharp, venomous, and Puffy glanced at him from the corner of her eye. His whole body was tense, his hair pulled back in a ponytail, his hand on his sword.

“Hey, Pandas…”

“Don’t ‘Pandas’ me, douchebag.”

Dream hummed. “Ok… I know how this looks…”

“Looks like you kidnapped someone, and attacked a bunch of kids.” Phil’s voice was ice cold, his eyes the color of the arctic sea.

“Mmm,” The green clad man hummed, inclining his head. “Technically, they attacked me first.”

“ _ Technically _ , no,” The bitter voice came back. Apparently, it belonged to a pale man with long brown hair and a tattered hoodie. “Technically, you punched Boffy first. Technically, you just tried to kill a bunch of teenagers and a twenty year old, which is kinda a dick move, _technically_.”

Tommy scoffed. “Yeah, bitch. We were doing self defense.”

Dream’s head snapped to him, and suddenly he went  _ green _ , ducking behind Techno, who shifted a bit to block him from harm.

“Dream,” Puffy said, her voice as sharp as she could make it. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

He hesitated, staring at her, before sighing. “I don’t really have an excuse, I just… I wanted my server back.”

Phil’s wife laughed, sharply, sardonically. “And you were scared we were going to take it? A bunch of people worried for their friends, for their family?”

“No, I was scared you were going to break it.”

The boy beside Ruby shifted, his hands moving slowly, his eyes dull and glazed. ‘Eight people joining on a server built for hundreds won’t break it.’ after a pause, he continued. ‘Try again, bitch.’

Dream hummed. “Ok, no, you’re right. It  _ normally  _ wouldn’t, but the server’s already coming apart. Ask your hacker, he’s sensed it.”

Puffy tensed at the mention of a hacker, and she heard 80 hiss. To her surprise, one of the boys, the young one, with the mask, nodded.

“Yeah, he’s right. Like I said, the fabric’s loose.”

Velvet stepped forward. “Oh, so you’re a hacker now? Do any big projects in the server recently?”

The boy glared back, dark eyes shining unfathomably. “I’m not an actual hacker, but yeah, actually. Gonna try to remove the egg, save your little boyfriend.”

Velvet froze, and Ant scowled. “Boyfriend? Me? I’m not his boyfriend, and I don’t need your help.”

Dream chuckled quietly, and all attention was on him again. “Trouble in paradise?”

Sapnap snarled at him. “Shut the fuck up. So, you kidnapped Techno to get them to leave? You couldn’t just ask nicely? Or, even better, let them evacuate everyone?”

“No,” Dream snapped. “I couldn’t, because then I won’t have a server.”

“Make a new one, then!” Ponk cried, throwing his hands in the air. “For fuck’s sakes, man, this server isn’t that important, is it?”

“No, but what’s inside is.”

Jordan scowled. “What’s inside?”

Suddenly, Ranboo made a noise in the back of his throat, somewhere between a snort and a groan, and tensed. “Oh, I get it.”

Dream nodded him. “Mmm. Yeah, you’re smart. Thought you would’ve figured it out earlier, in all honesty.”

“Ranboo?” Tommy’s voice was quiet.

“Ranboo,” Phil asked, frowning at him. “What’s going on?”

He suddenly seemed to realize that everyone was looking at him and he sucked in an uncomfortable breath, his shoulders raising. “Uh… He’s the one who planted the memory code. It’s for power… if we… if we can’t remember our homes, our lives before, then we won’t want to leave…”

“We won’t realize we can.” Techno’s voice was grim. The cut on his head was still fresh, he had to be at least a little concussed, but he didn’t waver, didn’t hesitate.

Purpled scowled. “Wait, wait, wait…” He looked at 80, a question in his eyes. “I thought the coder wasn’t an admin.”

“The person who set the crash wasn’t,” Dream spoke up. “Callahan didn’t check the original code, the one connected to the memory, to the communications.”

The masked boy chuckled drily. “You sick bastard.”

Dream glanced at him. “You’re one to talk, Boffy.”

Boffy shrugged. “Yeah, well, at least I’m aware of it. ‘Least I won’t drag my friends down with me.”

“Mmmm…” Dream’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “A real hero.”

“Don’t let him get to you, Boffy,” Tommy said suddenly. “He’s just embarrassed cause you kicked his ass.”

Boffy blinked at him in surprise. “Yeah… yeah, thanks Tommy.”

“Dream,” Puffy spoke, finally, her voice quiet. He tensed, his head snapping in her direction, and she almost ran to him, almost hugged him and told him it was okay, but she couldn’t, because she wasn’t his mom. Not anymore. “Dream, did you really set that code?”

He hesitated, before nodding slightly and she stepped back, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyelids. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and leaned into it.

“So… you remember before?” Drista suddenly asked, her voice almost deafening in the silence.

Dream didn’t respond immediately, and Puffy lifted her head. 

“...Bits and pieces. I remember fucking around on hacked servers with Sapnap and George. I remember my parents, and my cat. I remember some Canadian asshole named Illumina. I remember making the server, in the very beginning, and I didn’t really understand what I was doing. I remember…”

“Remember what?” The girl asked, almost reverently.

Dream hummed. “I remember you, sort of. All four of you, but I really don’t, at the same time. Who removed you?”

Mexican Dream laughed, suddenly, sharply. “No one  _ removed  _ us, man. We were glitched. By  _ your  _ shitty code.”

“No, that’s…” He hesitated. “No, I set the code after you guys left. There couldn’t have been any glitches severe enough to remove four whole people from the files.”

“Three,” Drista said. “Shitass wasn’t really part of the server, he’s basically a virus.”

Dream paused, and Puffy could almost see his brain trying to comprehend this unknowable thing’s name was Shitass. “Oh. Ok, that’s still not my fault. Someone actively took you guys out of the code.”

“Who?” Tommy asked, sharply. “Who would do that?”

“No idea,” Dream said easily. “I assumed it was Karl, at first- oh calm down, Sap, it’s just an idea- but that was kinda unlikely because the guy’s an idiot. Really, Sapnap? A crossbow?”

The Captain hummed. “It was someone with experience, definitely.”

Velvet snapped, sarcastically. “Oh, how about a hacker, huh? Like, oh, I don’t know, Boffy?!”

“That was before we joined-” The Captain started, but he was cut off by Ruby’s friend- the long haired one.

“-Wait, Boffy, you said you can get into closed servers?”

Boffy tensed, his eyes darting around the room. “What? You guys… you guys actually think it was me?”

Phil’s wife, who’s hand still rested on Puffy’s shoulder, shook her head. “Look, we’re just examining all the options.”

“Kristen…” Phil began, but Puffy let out an annoyed cry, wrenching herself away from the other woman.

“He’s a kid! How are you even considering this?”

Ant laughed. “Didn’t stop you from blaming Tommy and Ranboo for everything that went wrong, did it?”

She whirled on him, anger swelling in her chest. “That was different and you know it.”

“How?” Ruby asked, his voice as dull and lifeless as ever, and she stopped to stare at him.

_ “Me or Skeppy,” She laughed. “Me or Skeppy, make your choice.” _

_ Bad tapped his chin, thinking. “I don’t know… hmmmm…” _

_  
_ _ Skeppy let out an annoyed huff, crossing his arms. “Yeah, very funny guys. Shut up.” _

_ She adjusted the hood of her bright blue hoodie, pulling the strings a bit. “Come on Bad, make your decision.” _

_ Eret chuckled lowly, his eyes sparkling in amusement as Bad sighed dramatically. “I just don’t know, Discount Skeppy! You’re so much more fun than the original-” _

_ “Ugh!” Skeppy cried, wrapping his arms around Bad’s neck and hauling him down to give him a peck on the lips and knock their foreheads together lightly. “I hate you two.” _

“... Skeppy… You’re supposed to be on my side…”

He shrugged. “‘M not Skeppy.”

Tommy sighed, and all eyes turned to him. “Guys, it wasn’t Boffy.”

“Tommy, are you sure?” Techno’s voice was gentler than Puffy’d ever heard it. 

“Yeah. It wasn’t him.”

Boffy’s eyes were still wide, but now they shone with confusion, not just fear. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it almost immediately, just weakly muttering, “Thanks Tommy.”

Tommy nodded proudly, then turned back to Dream. “So, what do we do with you?”

Purpled spoke then, and Puffy almost jumped. “We could kill him.”

Dream tensed, and Puffy felt his eyes on her, pleading, begging.

“No,” She said, and he relaxed. “That’s too good for him. Sam’s done with the prison, right?”

“What? Mom-”

“Don’t call me that,” She said, and for once, she felt no sympathy when he shrank back. “I have two sons. You already fucked one up, and I getting rid of you before you even think of even touching Foolish.”

He hesitated, before stepping forward. Immediately, Sapnap’s crossbow was pointed at his head, and he faltered. “Puffy. Please, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Yes you did,” Ranboo muttered, and Dream turned to him. “You really fucking did.”

The Admin hesitated, glancing around, at all his old friends, old family, and then he stopped, face turned towards Drista. “I remember you…”

The girl paused, pulling off her mask to stare him in the eye. “That’s funny, I don’t recall us ever meeting.”

And then she moved forward, and grabbed his wrist, and he was unconscious.

“Drista…” Tommy started, but she shook her head at him. 

“I can’t pick him up on my own, I’m going to need help.” She said, and Puffy suddenly realized what was so familiar about her nose, her eyebrows, her sneer.

“I got him,” She said, and relieved the girl of her older brother, taking him off her shoulders for the first time in a long time. “Thank you.”

This wasn’t family, she thought, but she couldn’t help but breath in the smell of Dream’s peach shampoo and pretend that they were going home, finally.

This wasn’t family, but god, she wished it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im incredibly tired
> 
> also would any of you guys be interested in a soulmates sbi/dteam/idots fic? i have one planned out, but i wanted to get some feedback first.


	20. undying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i just listened to friends by bohdi on repeat while writing this. it does not fit the vibes, but god there is so much serotonin to be found in that song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shout out to that one guy who wanted more tubbo, this one's for you.
> 
> also, foolish g my beloved.

Tubbo was not an idiot.

He knew the Captain wasn’t supposed to be here; he knew there were glitches popping up around the server; he  _ knew  _ something was wrong, but couldn’t  _ do  _ anything about it.

He hated feeling useless.

He felt useless a lot.

He wandered around town for a while after choking out some excuse to leave, just roaming the streets, coat tucked under his elbow, one hand messing with the charm that hung from his neck. A simple circle, with the words “Just Us” engraved in a curling font. Tommy’d given it to him for his seventeenth birthday, back before exile, before doomsday, before everything.

Part of him wanted to go find Tommy, hug him, beg him to forgive him, but he couldn’t. 

He had to figure this out alone.

“Oh, hey Tubbo.” 

His head snapped up, eyes wide until he saw who had spoken then he relaxed.

“Hey George, what’re… what’re you doing in Snow Chester?”

“Oh… you know…” George hesitated. “I just… have you noticed anything weird going on?”

Tubbo blinked at him. He hadn’t expected this, hadn’t expected someone else to have seen the glitches, but… he had to do this alone. He opened his mouth, to say he hadn’t, to deny help, to turn George away. “Yeah, I have. The server’s falling apart.”

George looked as surprised as he felt, his eyes wide, his mouth open. It would’ve been almost comical if Tubbo wasn’t too busy hating himself to laugh. 

“Oh. Uh.” The older man glanced down the street, hesitating once more before continuing. “Ok, what do we do about it?”

“Don’t know. I was going to just…” What was he going to do? Did he have a plan? “I was going to find my brother.” He decided, with a finality. He wasn’t sure how he knew this was necessary, but it was.

George blinked at him, again. “Dream?”

“No, Foolish. Prime above, George, I am  _ not  _ going to Dream for help.”

George huffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Ok, whatever. I just didn’t know which brother you meant, you were kinda vague.”

“Ok, Gogy,” Tubbo grinned a bit, before turning to leave. “Come on, we should get going.”

The first strange message popped up around thirty minutes later.

**Sapnap whispered to GeorgeNotFound: do you remember where dream’s base is?**

Tubbo reread the message over George’s shoulder, frowning a bit. “Yeah… that’s weird.”

George hummed, typing back a response and shrugging a bit. “Doesn’t really matter, right? He’s probably just… looking for something.”

“In Dream’s base?”

George shrugged, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. They both knew something was wrong.

The second message came four hours later as they walked up the steps to the temple, and this one was almost enough to make them turn back.

**gamerboy80 has reached the achievement: The Beginning?**

Tubbo stared at his tab, trying to understand the words that blinked at him. “George. Tell me I misread that.”

“You did not.”

They stared at each other, neither moving, neither speaking, until Tubbo turned to continue upstairs. “Whatever, we’ll deal with it later.”

Foolish was standing in the middle of his temple, staring up at the pillars, back to the door. He wasn’t moving, wasn’t even breathing as far as Tubbo could tell, and he felt a strange fear well in his chest. 

“Foolish?”

Nothing.

George and Tubbo glanced at each other, before Tubbo started to walk forward, reaching out to tap his brother on the shoulder. His skin was icy, cold enough that the boy could feel it through the thin grey sweatshirt. Tubbo jerked his hand back as Foolish turned, the emeralds where his eyes should be shining in confusion.

“Oh, Tubbo,” His voice was metallic, echoey, and Tubbo shivered a bit. “Sorry, I was…” He glanced upwards. “Nevermind. What can I help you guys with?”

George tugged Tubbo back, something the totem didn’t miss, golden face tilting downward curiously.

“We need your advice,” George said. “You know a lot about… magic, right?”

The totem chuckled, gesturing down at himself. “Of course.”

“Ok. If there’s… little things around the server changing. Like… the ground turning into cobblestone somehow, or hallways changing, or…”

“Or people appearing?” Tubbo added, receiving a weird look from George. 

“...or that? Uh, what do you think is up with that?”

Foolish hummed, his face cold and emotionless as ever, the solid golden features staring at them blankly despite the concern in his voice, mouth not opening as he spoke. “That sounds… really serious. Maybe you should ask the Admins?”

“No!” Tubbo blurted, and both men gave him weird looks, but he continued. “No, you’re the only person who can help. I don’t… I don’t know how, but…”

Foolish glanced upwards again, toward the pillars, and then he sighed. “Ok. That’s pretty concerning on it’s own, but… Prime, does Dad know you’ve been wandering around?”

Tubbo shrugged. “She doesn’t care.”

The totem chuckled, emerald eyes glittering in amusement. “She does, Tubbo. You’re her only actual kid, you know.”

He shrugged uncomfortably. The idea of being Puffy’s kid… it was nice, but in a way, it felt wrong. Like he had someone else out there, someone who was more his parent than she was, but… who? “Look, Foolish, we just… do you know what’s going on?”

Foolish hesitated. “Yeah, I think so… come on, tell me about it while we walk.”

He turned, heading inside, and the other two hesitated before following. George started explaining, telling him about the weird things, like his wall disappearing, and the entirety of the cave near his house being flooded with lava when he went to check, and then Tubbo added on, telling him about the captain, and Foolish just nodded, humming every now and then, his face still blank and unmoving.

“Ok. So, I think I know what’s going on, but it’s not… it’s not good.”

Tubbo frowned at his brother, watching him pull a book out of his bookcase, flipping it open and gazing at the table of contents. “What do you mean?”

“... You can’t tell anyone, got it? Not Dad, or your mom, or Tommy. You understand me?”

Tubbo glanced at George, who frowned at him. “...Foolish?”

“Tubbo, please. Just promise me you won’t tell anyone.”

“Ok…”

“George, you too.”

George blinked. “I… sure.”

“Ok, good,” Foolish hesitated, looking back down at the book. “I’ve been keeping this journal for a few years now. Not sure why I started it, probably just for remembering little stuff, but… it doesn’t line up with my memories.”

Tubbo frowned. “How do you mean?”

“Look, I remember everything, I remember growing up in the ocean, and being raised to be a god, and running away, and meeting Dad, and… I remember everything, Tubbo. I remember starting this journal. But…”

He opened it to a page, near the beginning and handed it to George, who frowned at it. “‘I went shopping today, in the hub. The Dream SMP portal is kinda ominous. I don’t like it, but I guess it doesn’t matter much.’ What? I don’t understand any of this.”

Foolish shook his head. “Neither do I. It keeps going. Talking about the hub, and portals, and servers. I don’t… I don’t remember writing any of this. Up until a month or so back, when…” He took the book back, flipping through the pages, his emerald eyes reflecting page after page of swirling handwriting. “Here.”

George took the journal, sending Tubbo a glance before clearing his throat. “‘I just…’ Wait. What is this…”

Foolish nodded and Tubbo frowned. “What?” 

“‘I just received an invitation from Dream himself, to join the server. I have no idea how he even noticed me, I don’t really do much. This might be my chance to take a look at the server, and stop the…’”

George trailed off, eyes widening. The book slipped from his hands and he stepped back, one hand coming up to cover his mouth. 

Tubbo picked up the journal, but the words swam around the page, meaningless squiggles. “What? What does it say?”

Foolish’s voice was quiet, gentle, none of his usual childish excitement leaking into his words. “The server is crashing, Tubbo. It’s going to end and all of us will die.”

Tubbo blinked at him. “What?”

George scowled at the totem god, shaking his head. “No. No, that’s not… No.”   
  
“...Noah?” Tubbo’s voice came out in a squeak, his eyes wide. “You can’t be serious…”

Foolish hesitated for a second, before moving forward to hug Tubbo, his ice cold arms stinging a bit, but it was… it was nice, almost, in the heat of the desert. “It’s ok, Tubs.”

Tubbo buried his face in his brother’s sweatshirt, trying to even out his breaths, trying to stop the tears.

He felt useless.

  
  
  
  
  


_ “What do you think?” _

_ “It’s not good.” _

_ “Obviously.” _

_ “Stop, you two. This isn’t the time.” _

_ “We can’t go through.” _

_ “No.” _

_ “It’s crumbling.” _

_ “Nice observation, Apple Brain.” _

_ “Dick.” _

_ “Guys.” _

_ “Sorry.” _

_ “What do we do?” _

_ “Wait.” _

_ “We can’t wait long.” _

_ “The six of us have nothing. The others had a back door, we don’t.” _

_ “Why’d they go through? Why them?” _

_ “You know why.” _

_ “...I hate this.” _

_ “Hey. It’ll be okay.” _

_ “...” _

_ “Will it?” _

_ The six stood in silence, gazing up at the portal, the shimmering green light rolling off of it. _

_ Finally, one turned, preparing to leave, his blue mask shining in the low light. Shortly after, another walked away, adjusting his own two-colored mask. The third left with a sigh, blue eye scanning the street for onlookers. The last three stayed a bit longer, before the youngest adjusted his suit jacket, pushing his sunglasses up his nose a bit and turned away. _

_ “It’s going to be okay.” The plantling muttered again.  _

_ The cat didn’t respond, just gazing up at it silently. _

_ “It’s going to be ok.” _

_ “Yeah.” _

_ They stood there for a bit, before the young man sighed, turning away. The cat watched him leave, before turning back to the portal, back to the shimmering light, back to it’s family and sighed. _

_ “Come home, Sparklez.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these are not as mysterious as the shadow people, most of them have either already been mentioned in the story or are obvious characters.
> 
> shoutout to my little brother tommy who did nothing helpful and in no way helped with the writing of this story, and read the first chapter once on accident while disc was scrolling through the deo & tommy tag, and also is a little bitch, but reminded me that wisp.exe exists. love you kiddo <3


	21. --interlude: strangers--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little bit i came up with because i wanted to write something before starting on the next arc.

They stood together, and apart, and unaware of the others, and fully immersed in themselves.

Nineteen people, three glitches, and one virus walked out of the fortress, blissfully unaware of the skulls one held in his bag.

Four men huddled in a fortress of a base, listening to a traitor talk, fear thick in the air as they realised how much trouble they were really in.

A god, a child and a man who wanted nothing to do with any of this, read a journal that contradicted everything they’d ever known.

A man crafted a new story from the ashes, and when it was over, he’d forgotten something else, something new, something important.

A woman watched her brothers argue, and tried to ignore the way her hands flickered if she looked too close at them.

A man who had only ever wanted to help and a ghost sat on the roof of a palace neither of them owned and watched everything crumble.

A silent god disappeared into the shadows, unable to keep watching, unable to accept that his handiwork was dying so easily.

Six strangers went home, dreaming of betrayal, and dumb challenges, and championships, and tournaments, and gears, and a father.

And the person who had doomed the server, who had written in the code, who had fucked everything up for everyone,

watched 

and waited

and wondered why they couldn’t find it in themselves to care as their home burned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow. you guys ready for more heartbreak? this is gonna be terrible!
> 
> all the groups mentioned are going to have at least one chapter featuring them, so please feel free to theorize all you want, and give me ideas, because there's so much possibility for random meaningless bullshit. want a specific interaction? have a question? the next few chapters are going to be literally just whatever i want, so you guys finally get minimal rights. <3


	22. --interlude: birthday--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's boffy's birthday, so i wrote heartbreaking angst.
> 
> happy birthday king, may you never find this <3

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you!”

Boffy hunched over on himself, trying to hide the grin on his face. “This is so dumb, why are we doing this?”

“Because, bitch, I said so.”

Boffy huffed, squinting up at Tommy, who had his hands on his hips, his chest puffed out. “Aren’t we supposed to have a cake or something?”

Tommy hummed, glancing around the small cave they had made into a home over the last couple years, sharp blue eyes scanning the cramped space. “Yeah, but… aha!”

He grabbed a stale loaf of bread from the shelf, stabbing a torch into it.

“That’ll do, I s’pose,” He beamed proudly.

Boffy felt his lips tug a bit, but he fought it down with a scoff. “Dumbass.”

“Oi!”

Boffy stared at the bread that now sat on the table, surrounded by a little halo of crumbs. He couldn’t remember ever having a cake before, he realised. He couldn’t remember ever having celebrated his birthday.

“You ok, Boffs?” He glanced up to see Tommy looking at him with a worried expression. “You don’t have to eat it, you know. It’s just a… a stand-in? Yeah, a stand-in, until we get out and you can get some real cake.”

“You mean that?”

“You… Do I mean what, big man?”

Boffy felt his face redden, and he shrugged, looking back down at the table. “...When we get out of here… You said we. You’re not… you’re not going to leave me?”

Tommy blinked, before laughing suddenly, his eyes bright and sparkling. “Of course I’m not going to leave you, Boffy. You… your parents are dicks, aren’t they?” Boffy hesitated, before nodding, and Tommy barreled on. “Mine aren’t. You can stay at my place, on the couch, or, oh! You could sleep in my room! My dad won’t mind setting up a cot. We can have sleepovers, and watch movies and- and- and-”

“Get pizza?”

Tommy beamed. “Yeah! What do you think of that, big B? Get matching pajamas? Your 13th birthday is going to be so much better than this, I swear, it’ll be a whole shebang. I’ll even get my dad to let us use the speakers and projector.”

“Ok…” Boffy smiled a bit, watching his best friend bounce on his tiptoes. “Yeah, alright. But, on one condition.”

Tommy froze, narrowing his eyes playfully. “Only you would set conditions for your own birthday party.”

Boffy felt his heart flutter at the fondness in the older boy’s voice, and pushed it down, buried it down where he’d never have to address it.

“I want an ice cream cake, and red balloons.”

“Deal.”

\---

Boffy’s thirteenth birthday ended with him telling Tommy, the only person to ever treat him with any kind of kindness, to fuck off.

\---

Boffy’s fourteenth birthday was spent in a drainage pipe, listening to the traffic rush overhead.

\---

Boffy’s fifteenth birthday was spent in a glitched server, throwing himself off of cliffs just to feel his bones splinter.

\--- 

Boffy’s sixteenth birthday was still 9 hours away, but, as he trudged through the forest, still picking the broken pieces of his mask from his cheek, he decided it really didn’t matter.

Tommy’s hand in his father’s ensured one thing.

He was never getting that ice cream cake, or those balloons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> man's 16. finally in the big games now. (also he got a car???? rich smh)


	23. --interlude: memories--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's some fluff because i feel bad for the bullshit i pulled with the boffy chapter. 
> 
> the remaining chapters in the intermission: ""family", "hope", "games", "home"
> 
> then we get back to plot, baby!!

Skeppy sighed, watching the rain spatter on the window. It was sad and melancholic, so he was sad and melancholic. Loneliness fell on him like a blanket, and he felt tears dig at the back of his eyelids.

“Hey, Ske-” Geo paused in the doorway, before sighing. “Oh, you’re doing the whole ‘I’m in a sad music video’ thing again aren’t you.”

“Shhhh,” Skeppy hissed, turning his eyes back to the window, but the mood was ruined. He huffed, turning off his music, ripping his earbuds out and turning to the Brit. “What do you want?”

A grin tugged at the taller man’s lips, and he shook his head. “Honestly, nothing, I was just wondering where you’ve been.”

“You ruined my cinematic angst arc for that?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Geo smiled for real at that, round ears twitching in amusement. Vaguely, Skeppy thought it was unfair that the only beaver traits the other hybrid had gotten was the ears, and not the dumb buckteeth or ugly tail. The guy was almost unfairly attractive. “What’re you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Skeppy muttered, turning back to the window. To his annoyance, his friend came over to sit across from him.

  
“Hmmm. You thinking about Bad?”

Now he was. “No.”

“Uh huh,” Geo smirked, blue eyes sparkling cheerily. “Sure you weren’t.”

“I wasn’t!” Skeppy huffed, “I was trying to imagine you with beaver teeth.”

Geo’s eyes widened and his mouth opened a bit. “Oh. Ok, that’s not what I was expecting.”

“You’d be ugly.”

“Thanks,” The taller man grinned. “That’s very sweet of you.”

“Stop flirting, Geo,” Finn said, poking his head through the doorway. “You know he’s married to Bad.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Skeppy muttered, draping his arm over his face. “I hate you both.”

“Awww, stop, I’m blushing,” Finn beamed, “I hate you too, Skeppy.”

Geo laughed, and Skeppy scowled. “What are you even wearing.”

"Playboy bunny outfit," He responded simply, as if it wasn't the most unnecessarily sexual thing Skeppy had ever had the misfortune of seeing. "Cute, right?"

"Why?"

"Because she's sexy, duh." Geo spoke up.

Finn laughed at that, and Skeppy rolled his eyes. "Shut the fuck up, you two, I swear to God."

He buried his face in his arms again to hide the fond smile on his lips.

  
  
  
  


Tommy let out a choking wheeze, watching Deo beat Luke in yet another round of rock paper scissors.

"Shit," Luke muttered, frowning at the older man. "How do you always do that?"

Deo shrugged. "Luck?"

"You always go for scissors!" Tommy supplied helpfully, flipping off Deo when he glared at him.

Luke's solid black eyes widened. "Wait, do I?"

Wisp finally looked up from his comms unit. "Don't tell me you didn't notice." 

The youngest frowned at his hands. "I may be stupid…" He muttered, triggering another round of hysterical laughter from Tommy.

Wisp let out a huff, shaking his head. "I'm surrounded by infants."

Deo flicked him on the ear. "Yeah, well, at least we're not assholes. What have you even been doing on that tab all day?"

Wisp hesitated. "Nothing. Just… making plans. Worst case scenarios and all."

Tommy groaned. "You work too much." 

Wisp cocked an eyebrow at him. "Someone has to."

"Ugh," Tommy huffed. "Loosen up for once. Tell you what, help me prank Bitzel. Nothing big, just… just one prank and then do whatever. Please?"

Wisp opened his mouth, then glanced down at his comms and hesitated. "Can't."

Deo rolled his eyes. "Wisp, if you don't, I'm making you do dishes."

Wisp scowled, eye flickering between them. "... Fine."

Tommy cheered, launching himself to his feet and grabbing the man's arm. 

"This is going to be great."

  
  
  
  


Purpled groaned, watching Sammy and Walli argue. It wasn’t a real argument, Sammy wasn’t crying yet, they were just messing around, but he could tell Walli was getting a bit frustrated. 80 poked him in the ribcage, raising an eyebrow. 

“You gonna help with bed prot or am I on my own?”

Purpled chuckled, glancing back at the two boys as their argument reached a new height before getting back to his job of encasing the bed in obsidian.

“Why’d we even do fours, this is dumb,” He said. “Those two are useless.”

“You say that a lot.”

“It’s the truth.”

80 raised an eyebrow. “You say that like you’re not.”

Purpled opened his mouth, before abruptly snapping it shut. The older boy chuckled, moving to put down a layer of wool over the obby.

“So, how are you,” 80 said, conversationally. “Having a good time?”

Purpled shrugged a shoulder. “I ‘unno. I turn 16 in exactly two months, which is cool, I guess.”

80 rolled his eyes. “Ok, but how are you?”

“...I got an invite.”

“To what?”

“The Dream SMP.”

That made 80 stop, mismatched eyes locking with his little brother’s. “The… the Dream SMP?”

“Yeah,” Purpled muttered. “The real deal.”

“Why?”

Purpled hesitated. He wasn’t really sure. He wasn’t even the best- or the second best- bedwars player. He was just… a kid. “I don’t…”

“Hey. No, I’m not-” 80 huffed, setting down the wool. “I’m not saying you don’t deserve it, okay? You’re the toughest kid I know. You… you deserve this more than anyone, I just… I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Purpled blinked at his brother. “Are you implying… are you implying I’m more than a non to you?”

80 laughed, rolling his eyes. “Nah, you still suck, I take it back.”

“Ouch,” Purpled grinned. “I see how it is, then.”

“See how what is?” Sammy asked, frowning at them as he wandered in.

“80 doesn’t care about me.”

“Aww,” Walli said, adjusting his bear mask as he walked up to the villager. “Poow Puwpwed. His bwover doesn’t wike him.”

Purpled snorted, punching the man’s shoulder. “Hey, douchebag, stop sucking.”

“No,” 80 said. “Keep sucking, it makes the rest of us look good.”

Walli laughed, and the whole team relaxed a bit, just reveling in the moment, before a siren rang through the base, and sudden adrenaline rushed through their veins. Someone was on their base.

Purpled smirked, grabbing his sword and an ender pearl, and 80 met his eyes. “Let’s wreck these nons.”

They won that game.

  
  
  
  
  


Tubbo woke late, rubbing his eyes sleepily. It was almost noon, he realized, and he jolted upright.

No, wait, it's Saturday. He's okay. He let his head fall back again, and he sighed. The air smelled like pancakes, he realised, and he almost got up before he heard quiet footsteps in the hallway and immediately shut his eyes, going limp.

“Tubbo?” He let out a little snore, and there was a giggle from the doorway. “I know you’re awake.”

He still didn’t open his eyes, and there was a pause before the footsteps padded closer, stopping right beside his head, and he had to resist opening his eyes as the room went silent.

Suddenly, something connected with his stomach and he let out a shriek, batting at the laughing face now only inches from his.

“Crumb! That hurt!” 

She didn’t look apologetic at all, her ears twitching happily as he groaned, her feline lips twitching into a smile. “Gooood morning, Tubbo!”

He sighed, grinning back against his will. “Hi, Crumby.”

There was a knock on the open door, and the Captain stuck his head in. “You two good? I heard screaming.”

Tubbo smiled. “I’m fine dad, Crumb tackled me.”

“I did noooot,” Crumb pouted, despite the fact that she was still perched on Tubbo’s chest. “I woke him up nicely.”

Jordan chuckled, walking in a bit further to rub her head. She purred, claws digging into Tubbo’s shoulders. 

  
“Ow…” He muttered, batting at her again, and she smiled at him. “Get off…”

She sighed, but slipped off of his chest, tail whacking him in the face one last time. “Goooood morning Sparklez, how’re you?”

Jordan smiled at her. “I’m good, how’re you, Miss Cuptoast?”

“I am fantastic!”

Tubbo groaned, finally sitting up. “Can you two get out of my room?”

The Captain smiled, running his hands through his son’s hair, ruffling it gently. “Ok. Breakfast is almost ready, come down when you can.”

“Alright,” Tubbo smiled. “See you in five.”

Crumb gestured for the Captain to pick her up, which he did with a joking sigh and exaggerated eye roll. He carried her out, shutting the door behind them.

Tubbo hauled himself out of bed, tugging on a t-shirt he thought was probably one of Tommy’s, judging from the way it hung off his shoulders like a tent, and ran his hands through his hair, trying to smooth it, before heading to the bathroom.

Today was going to be good, he decided.

  
  
  
  
  


Phil slid the chicken onto the plate, wincing at the blackened skin. 

“Did you overcook it, again?” Kristen asked, from the kitchen table. 

“No,” He said, but then paused. “Maybe.”

She laughed, and he felt his heart flutter at the sound. “Maybe try setting a timer next time.”

He puffed up his wings in fake grief. “I can’t believe you trust me so little, madam.”

“I can’t believe you burnt the bird!”

He opened his mouth to argue, but couldn’t think of anything to say to that. “Ok, fair enough, I suppose.”

Wilbur drifted into the room, sniffing the air and pulling a face. “Oh my god, again?”

Phil sighed. “Pizza?”

“Hell yeah!” A voice chimed in behind Wilbur and Phil jolted, craning his neck.

“Schlatt? I didn’t realise you would be coming over.” He directed a Look at Wilbur, who shrugged.

The ram stepped to the side a bit, so Phil could look at him. “Sorry Mr Sootson, I thought Will told you.”

“Stop calling me Sootson,” Phil said, fondly. “Phil’s fine.”

Schlatt nodded. “Mr Sootson it is.”

Kristen snorted. “You’re very polite, Mr Jedidiah F Schlatt.”

“My mother raised me well,” He beamed.

Wilbur huffed. “Schlatt, if you don’t stop, they’re going to adopt you.”

Schlatt laughed. “What, I would make a wonderful brother!”

Wilbur made a series of noises and tilted his hand back and forth, prompting the shorter man to toss a lame little punch, aimed at his shoulder. 

Phil pulled out his tablet, flipping to the pizza place’s order screen. “Ok, so, pineapple for Wil, pepperoni for Kris and Schlatt and supreme for me. Sounds good?”

Wilbur nodded. “Can you get breadsticks?”

Phil hummed in agreement, tapping a couple more buttons. “Alright. We have about thirty minutes before dinner now. What do you guys say to a movie?”

“Depends what movie,” Wilbur says, shrugging. “Like if we were to-”

“No,” Schlatt cut him off firmly. “We are not watching ‘Your Name’ again, dude.”

Wilbur pouted, and his parents laughed. “How about…”

Phil cut in before he could start listing romcoms. “We could rewatch ‘The Velocipastor.’”

Schlatt cheered, Kristen groaned and Wilbur sighed.

They ended up all cuddled together on the couch, the world’s shittiest movie playing on the tv, letting out insane giggle after insane giggle.

This was nice.

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Ant! We’re going to be late!”

Ant huffed, almost tripping as he tried to tie his shoes with one hand. “On my way!”

“Hurry up!”

“Oh, for fuck’s-” He cut himself off, throwing himself out the door and into the car. “Fine. Go.”

Velvet smirked at him, slowly putting the car into drive. “We still have, like, fifteen minutes, calm down.”

He blinked, glancing at his comms tablet’s clock. “... Oh my god. You…”

Velvet laughed, pulling out of the driveway. “That was great.”

“No,” Ant scowled. “It wasn’t. I was terrified, you dick.”

“Sorry,” Velvet said, and he meant it. Ant huffed, glancing at him, and shrugged.

“Ok, it was a little funny.”

His boyfriend lit up immediately, satisfaction settling on his face. “Yeah, it was.”

Ant rolled his eyes at him, but chuckled a bit at the expression. “So, scale of one to ten, what are the ratings on the restaurant?”

Velvet shrugged. “Most of them were around six or seven, a couple were fives. Someone gave it a one, which was a bit weird, but the review said the water was too cold, so I’m not trusting that.”

“Can’t believe you’re taking me to a one star restaurant,” Ant sighed. “Cheap-ass.”

“At least I’m not a bottom,” Velvet sang, and laughed at the look he got in return. “At least we have the movie to look forward to.”

Ant made a quiet sound of agreement. “Still don’t know why you chose a horror movie.”

“When you get scared, you get cuddly.”

“Oh,” Ant sighed. “Figures.”   
  


Velvet chuckled. “If you want to pick the movie, you can pay for the date, next time.”

“Mmm,” Ant pretended to think about it. “No, I don’t think I will.”

Velvet laughed at that, his green eyes sparkling in amusement, his scarlet red hair ruffling in the slight draft caused by the air conditioning.

He looked like something from a movie, like a work of art, and Ant smiles.

“You look good,” He finally said, “You should wear suits more often.”

Velvet’s face went bright red and he jerked a shoulder in an attempt of a casual shrug. “Thanks.”

Ant chuckled, shaking his head, glancing out the window.

It was sunny outside, for the first time in a while, and he smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this goes out to whoever wanted it, i guess, i don't remember. might have to delete my comments about my creative writing teacher, she wants to read it.


	24. --interlude: wrong--

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i have been listening to milf from friday night funking all day i am so tired someone help me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter. how are you guys feeling after yesterday?

Foolish didn’t want to be right.

Normally, he wouldn’t mind. Being right about the weather meant he was prepared. Being right about his buildings meant they looked nice. Being right was a good thing. He didn’t have a need to be right at all times, it was just nice sometimes.

  
He’d never wanted to be wrong.

If he was right, that meant so much. It meant everything he stood for was a lie.

He was raised being told he was supposed to be a hero. The god of life, of undying. It was always so much, too much, and he ran away when he finally managed to, but it’d always been a reassuring thought, the idea that he stood for something. The idea of him being made for something, having a porpuse.

Now, none of it meant anything.    
  


He remembered last week, the night he, Jack and Connor stayed up, getting drunk and chatting. Connor had whispered that he’d known Schlatt, somehow, even though they’d never met. Jack had admitted to having respawned, and Foolish had told them about the journal.

“This isn’t normal,” Connor hummed, watching the waves beat at the shore. “This isn’t alright.”

  
“So?” Jack asked, taking a swig of the beer he held in his hand. “So, we’re fucked. That ain’t new, Pantsie.”

Connor’s eye twitched at the nickname, but he didn’t do anything. “Whatever. I’m probably overthinking this.”

Foolish wished he’d listened.

  
“Fool?” Tubbo’s voice was quiet, scared. “What do we do?”

He didn’t have an answer, so he didn’t say anything, just looking back down at the journal. They’d read it cover to cover together, and he’s read it a couple more times, but that didn’t mean he knew what was going on.

George sighed, standing up and crossing his arms. “Ok, whatever. I can’t stay couped up in here any longer. I’m going to go find Dream and make him explain everything.”

  
“No,” Foolish finally said. “If he caused this… he wouldn’t say. If he didn’t, he… god, I don’t know, I just… we can’t just do nothing, but we can’t do  _ that. _ ”

“So  _ what do we do _ ?”

Tubbo looked between the men apprehensively, his eyes nervous. “What if we… what if we tried to get out? There’s… there’s a portal somewhere on the server, right? If we can find it-”

“If we can find it, we can get everyone home. Get everyone safe.”

“Mmhmm!” Tubbo smiled at Foolish. “Exactly!”

“How do you suggest we find the portal?” George asked.

  
Tubbo hesitated, so Foolish cut in. “We ask around! See if anyone knows anything. Someone has to have come across a portal at some point, right?”

George nodded slowly. “Alright… and what about Dream?”

“We’ll just avoid him,” Tubbo shrugged. “He’s been hanging around Techno and Phil, mostly, right? It should be pretty easy.”

Foolish smiled, excited. “Yeah! It’ll be easy!”

_   
_ **UNKNOWN USER HAS MADE THE ACHIEVEMENT: THE BEGINNING.**

**DREAMXD WAS SLAIN BY UNKNOWN USER**

**UNKNOWN USER DIED FROM FALL DAMAGE**

**UNKNOWN USER HAS MADE THE ACHIEVEMENT: FINAL BOSS**

**UNKNOWN USER HAS BEEN KICKED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know, none of this would've happened if george hadn't slept through the election, just saying.


	25. --interlude: importance--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmm. kale joboc.

Karl was a storyteller. That was one of the things that people liked about him, actually. How he always had a story to share, always had a tale to tell.

When he found out he could make his own little world, tell his stories with scenery, like a game, it was so tempting.

He’d never been one for withstanding temptations.

The first few had been simple. Just mindless little characters who ran around, doing his bidding. After that, he figured out how to give them their own wills. The Village was the first real example of this. He let the people be, let them do what they wanted.

The next step was to join them, act like one of them, lead the story on from the inside. That was new, and exciting.

He liked to pretend he was a time traveller.

It wasn’t as nice as it used to be. It used to be exciting, an escape from reality, a chance to enjoy himself outside of the dull roar of real life. Now, though…

It wasn’t boring, per se, not exactly, but it was… worse. He was tired more often, and sometimes it felt like he was forgetting something. 

He was. At first, he hadn’t noticed, because when you forget something, you can’t remember what it is, that’s how it works. He couldn’t remember what he was missing, but he felt like he was missing  _ something _ , but he  _ couldn’t remember. _

After a while, it started to get more obvious. He forgot where he usually put his shoes. He forgot what “mi vida” meant when Quackity called him that one night. He forgot who Fran was. He didn’t remember until he did, and when he did, he couldn’t.

About a month after he started, he finally forgot the first big thing. He was talking to Sapnap, just joking around, hanging out, legs entangled as they sat together on the bed, Karl’s head resting on his husband’s chest.

Sapnap was talking, and Karl was nodding along, humming occasionally, but eventually, he asked a question, just trying to join in. “So, who’s George again?”

Sapnap tensed, pulling his head back, frowning down at Karl. “What?”

“George?”

“Yeah, George? My… my best friend? Who I’ve known since I was a kid? The best man at our wedding?”

“Oh. Oh, yeah. Sorry, brain fart,” He chuckled, awkwardly. “Yeah. Of course I know who George is, I just…”

Sapnap frowned, but nodded. “Ok. Ok, sure, if you say so.”

A week later, he forgot Quackity.

That was when he realised how bad things were getting, how serious this was.

He couldn’t stop though. The only time he really felt happy was in these bubbles. The only thing he had left was these little pockets of fantasy.

He was tired, and he was scared, but he couldn’t stop, couldn’t let it go.

His head hurt.

He watched the scene fade around him, immediately pulling out his diary, scanning the pages carefully.

He had everything he needed written here.

**_Your name is Karl Jacobs._ **

**_That is very important. You cannot forget that._ **

**_You have two husbands, named Alex and Sapnap._ **

**_Alex goes by Quackity, or Q, sometimes. He calls you mi amor (my love) and mi vida (my life). You call him darling and sunshine._ **

**_Sapnap calls you froggy, and sugar. You call him panda and cupcake._ **

**_You live in a big house, with a red door._ **

**_If Sapnap brings home a cat, let him keep it._ **

**_If either finds a spider, you’ll have to kill it._ **

**_DO NOT TOUCH QUACKITY WITHOUT WARNING ESPECIALLY ON THE HIPS OR SHOULDERS._ **

**_Remember to water the plants._ **

**_You wash the dishes on Fridays._ **

**_If Quackity has a panic attack, sit beside him, hug him, and rub his back._ **

**_If Sapnap has a panic attack, move away, sit with your back to the opposite wall and talk to him._ **

**_If you have a panic attack, don’t let them know, press your hands to your chest and count the breaths. Sometimes it helps to list things you can see in your head._ **

**_The code to the security system is 1144._ **

**_You sleep in the middle, with Alex on the left and Sapnap on the right. If Sapnap snores, try to roll him on his back. If Quackity starts sleep talking, record it to laugh about later._ **

**_You always wear bright colors. Do not try to wear black or grey, they will get worried. Do not wear white, they will be confused._ **

_**If you have a headache, you’re probably having caffeine withdrawal, get a Monster energy from the fridge. You like the white ones most.** _

**_Take your meds. You have two, one for adhd and one for anxiety. Take one of each in the morning. Sapnap has meds too, remind him to take them._ **

**_Quackity puts cheese in his hot chocolate. Feel free to call it gross, because it is._ **

**_If he calls you ‘honeybuns’, respond with ‘baby birdie’._ **

**_If Sapnap makes jokes about being stupid, tell him to stop. He’s really really smart._ **

**_The popcorn is in the cabinet with the seasonings._ **

**_Quackity flirts with Sapnap’s dad a lot._ **

**_Sapnap flirts with Quackity’s dad in revenge, but it doesn’t really work because Sam is oblivious and has no idea he’s being hit on._ **

**_Sapnap smokes. Don’t let him know that you know._ **

**_Ranboo comes over sometimes, let him have your usual chair. He likes to listen, do not try to pull him into the conversation._ **

**_Sapnap’s kale salad is really bad, don’t eat it._ **

**_THINGS NOT TO MENTION OR SAY:_ **

_**Do not call Quackity sweetcheeks. Do not comment on his appearance, especially his ass. Do not yell. Do not drink, or talk about drinking. Do not bring up Schlatt. Do not try to quiet him when he’s excited about something. Do not talk about hearts, or cannibalism, or raw meat.** _

**_Don’t say “Come here” to Sapnap. Do not talk about Dream. Do not try to corner him. Do not go near ravines. Do not sing that stupid doo doo doo song that Dream listens to. Do not say “Oh come on” or try and get him to do things he doesn’t want to._ **

**_DO NOT LET THEM FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR MEMORY._ **

**_DO NOT LET THEM FIND THIS JOURNAL._ **

Karl hummed.

None of this seemed new, somehow. He remembered all of it, remembered writing all of it. He must not have forgotten anything. Or, if he had, it wasn’t important enough for the list.

He smiled. That’s good, right? It meant he was getting stronger, his memory was holding up.

He tucked the book back in his pocket, along with his hands and started out towards home.

He wondered how his friends were doing.

Maybe he should pay Jimmy a visit sometime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bitches be out here naming themselves manifold and using ra/rage pronouns and then get surprised when they gain a caffeine addiction and a god complex (i'm bitches)
> 
> EDIT: i made it too obscure, so here's what's going on. in the process of forgetting the SMP, karl is instead remembering the time before, in the hub. (that's why he mentions jimmy, who isn't on the server)


	26. --interlude: war--

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> goodbye saigon by billy joel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is short and sad but guess what? i am overly caffeinated and having a manic episode and none of you can stop me <3

Niki didn’t like it when people fought.

Especially not people she cared about, and especially not with each other.

Fundy was her brother, in every way but blood, his anger was her anger, his sorrow was her sorrow. When his father left him for glory and power, she held him, let him cry into her shoulder, let him sleep in her bed, while she took the couch. He had been through so much, and he was barely older than her.

Eret, on the other hand, was too prideful for anger, too logical for grief. She cried behind closed doors, mourning her friends privately. In public, she was powerful, and confident, and knowing. With Niki, she was looser, her hair let down around her shoulders, long velvet cloak exchanged for a simple shawl. Around Niki, she was human.

They were both her brothers, one in grief, the other in loneliness.

To see them fight like this hurt.

“You doomed us all!” Eret roared, her sunglasses gone, her eyes glowing in rage. “You fucked us all over!”

“So did Niki,” Fundy spat, his ears almost against his head. “What about her? So did H, and Ranboo, and-”

“Yes, but they apologized,” Eret’s voice was low now, cold. “They realise what they did was wrong, and they apologized. You’re being a stubborn-”

“-Oh, like you know anything of doing the right thing. ‘It was never meant to be,’ right?”

“Do  _ not _ bring that into this.”

“Seriously? I have to own up to my wrongs, and you don’t even have to think about yours?”

“That’s different. That was-”

“-That was what?! You fucking killed me! And Tommy, and Tubbo, and-”

“No, that is not- no, I have redeemed myself, you don’t get-”

“Shut up!” Niki cried, finally stepping forward. “Neither of you guys get to talk about this, anymore. Eret, you’re being a hypocrite. Fundy, you’re being an asshole.”

Fundy stared at her, his eyes sharp, the amber in them a cold, hard knife to her heart.

“Niki…”

She shook her head at him, turning to Eret, who stubbornly stared at the floor. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

The man shrugged. “Sorry.”

“No you’re not.”

At that, their pale eyes shifted up to meet hers, the blank white of the irises every bit as cold as Fundy’s. “No, I’m not. You and Fundy destroyed L’Manburg, the very same thing you swore to protect.”

Fundy let out a grumbling sound. “It wouldn’t have existed if you had anything to say about it.”

Her eyes snapped to him. “Shut up.”

Niki sighed. “Both of you shut up.”

“No,” Fundy snarled, eyes fixed on Eret. “No, I don’t think I will.”

This wasn’t a fight anyone would win, especially not Niki. She could do nothing about this. She could do nothing about them.

Her head hurt.

She sat down, staring at her hands. Through the tears that welled in her eyes, they looked blurry, unfocused. She sniffed, rubbing away the tears, and froze.

Her hands were still blurry.

She looked up at her brothers, who were still screaming at each other. Every fur on Fundy’s face, every pearl on Eret’s many necklaces, they all stood out, sharp and detailed.

Her hands were blurry.

She stared at them, flexing her fingers, watching the fuzzy replicas move too. It was like looking through low quality glass, like one of Puffy’s jars. She didn’t like this.

She hated this, actually.

The feeling that she was dissolving like bread in water was nagging, and the sound of two of her favorite people screaming at each other didn’t help.

She looked up, looked at them, and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

She couldn’t speak.

And then everything went dark.

  
  


**NIHACHU HAS REACHED THE ACHIEVEMENT: GOODBYE SAIGON**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys guess what? i'm having so much fucking fun with this you have no idea.
> 
> also if someone drew fanart of any of my stories, i would marry them on the spot. /hj


	27. --intermission: ghosts--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hbomb is actually my favorite person on the smp, sorry jack.
> 
> this was typed on my phone, if the formatting is fucked, no it's not.

Hbomb was a nice guy.

He thought he was, at least, when he wasn’t tormenting his friends in the maid dress he’d commissioned Eret to make for him.

He was a nice guy, when he wasn’t a horrible person, he decided wryly.

He pulled his knees up to his chest, staring down at the crater below him, the Pride Palace being just far enough away to avoid destruction.

“It’s lonely, isn’t it,” He said. “Like it’s waiting for something.”

“I suppose,” His companion said, fiddling with the loose string on his sweater. “Hasn’t had people in a while, maybe it wants that. Or rain? It hasn’t rained in a while.”

“It rained last night.”

The spectre hesitated. “Oh. Oh, I forgot.”

Hbomb glanced at him, at the way he smudged at the edges, like an out of focus photograph.

Someone explained ghosts to him, one time, sitting in a dark vault, watching him try to enchant a sword. 

_“They’re spirits, obviously. Trapped in between the world of the living and the world of the dead. They’re not really conscious, either, not fully aware at all times. Kind of like… when you’re half awake, and you’re not asleep, but you aren’t really up and walking.”_

_“Jesus, Ren, how do you know all of this?”_

_“We hermits know everything.”_

_“Sure, sure… the Captain told you?”_

_“Maybe.”_

He sighed, eyes tracing the horizon. Was it even possible to miss something you don’t remember? Something you may have never had?

They sat in silence, watching the clouds move across the sky, watching the shadows of mobs spawn in the dark corners of the warzone.

“I’m so tired,” Hbomb finally said, putting his head on his knees. “Prime above, this is hell.”

“No,” Ghostbur said calmly. “Hell has more fire.”

That made Hbomb laugh, which made the spirit beam with pride. 

It was cold out, today, the kind where it sent shivers down your spine, and made you wonder whether it would snow. Hbomb wore a flannel, but it really didn’t retain any warmth, the thin fabric of the shirt protecting him not at all.

He rubbed his forearms, frowning when it did nothing.

“It’s too cold for February,” He muttered, and Ghostbur gave him a look. “I hate winter.”

Ghostbur nodded. "Me too. I can't even get cold and I'm cold."

"What's it like, being dead?"

There was a pause, then Ghostbur spoke, the uncanny echo of his voice almost stronger. "It's empty. It's so empty, like living in a dream. It's like there's a window between me and everything and I can't get past it, and I can't really touch anything and I-" He hesitated. "It's like I'm not really awake."

A shiver ran down Hbomb's spine. 

How had he known that? How had he understood how that felt?

The voice couldn't be real, it had to be his imagination. If it wasn't…

If it wasn't, that meant something was wrong.

_"Hey, guess what?"_

_"I'm a builder not a mind reader, H. What happened?"_

_"I got invited to the Dream SMP!"_

_"Whoa, wait, really? Holy moly, that's awesome! Have you told the others yet?"_

_"I told Ren, and Stress. I was going to tell Antonio tonight, and I haven't seen the Captain all day."_

_"Oh… haven't you heard?"_

_"Heard what?"_

_"..."_

_"Iskall?"_

_"...His kid's missing. Hasn't been responding to messages. He went to some server and now…"_

_"Oh God."_

_"Yeah…"_

"H?" Ghostbur asked, quietly. "You okay?"

Hbomb blinked, looking at the spirit. "Uh… yeah. Yeah, sorry, I was… I was thinking."

Ghostbur hummed. "I get that. Hey, do you want some tea? I just got some lavender, it's really good!"

Hbomb hesitated. "Maybe another day."

He watched the ghost drift off, trying not to zone out again.

_"I'm going to miss you."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more random lore that means nothing: shady oaks and vault hunters are the equivalent of those areas in the park with the chess tables. only old people and people with deep dark secrets hang out there.
> 
> also celebrities, sometimes.
> 
> anyway shout-out to comet i fucking love you dude /p


	28. --interlude: friends--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey ponk's pretty cool, huh?

Ponk was not a hero.

He’d always been pretty much a background character, even in his own life. He and Sam used to crack jokes about it as they watched Tommy and Tubbo and Wilbur doing things, knowing full well that they wouldn’t have any sort of chance of making a difference.

Watching Sam work with Dream to create a prison fit to keep a God was weird. Like he was getting left behind. Like everyone now had a purpose, like everyone else was doing something huge.

And he wasn’t.

When he was younger, he thought he would be a hero when he grew up, thought he would be someone great.

Now, he ran a marketplace that was burnt down more often than not, and had a crush on his best friend, and wore the same fucking hoodie every day because he couldn’t be bothered to change.

He was no hero.

But as he watched Puffy link the chains around Dream’s wrists, binding him with enchantments strong enough to make the Admin gasp, he decided that for once, he might have done something right.

Sapnap sidled up behind him, sighing quietly. The blazes walked in silence for a while, just thinking, before Sapnap spoke.

“Sorry for burning down your tree.”

“Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t the first, or the last time.”

“No, but it was the thing that literally started a war.”

Ponk frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The disc war?” Sapnap prompted. “Tommy kept going after you so Dream took his discs?”

Ponk opened his mouth, but couldn’t think of anything to say, so he just shut it. He hadn’t thought of it like that. He was technically responsible for everything on the server. If he hadn’t started the fight with Tommy, Dream wouldn’t have snapped, and Wilbur wouldn’t have made L’Manburg, and Schlatt wouldn’t have won, and none of this would’ve happened.

“You ok?”

He jumped, blinking at the American in surprise. “Mmm, yeah. I just… I’ve always wanted to do something big, I didn’t realize I already had…”

Sapnap raised an eyebrow. “You wanted to do something big? What exactly does that mean?”

Ponk flushed. “I don’t know, I just really… I don’t know, it’s probably pretty selfish of me-”

“Wanting to be known isn’t selfish, it’s human.”

Ponk froze, blinking at him. He hadn’t expected to be comforted, especially not by Sapnap. “Thanks.”

“...’f course.”

Ponk felt a grin tug at his lips and was suddenly really grateful for his mask. Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad.

Maybe he could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow a whole chapter without lore? holy shit!  
> this means the next ones going to hurt, in case you didn't catch that.
> 
> (also the whole "wanting to be known isn't selfish, it's human" is a quote from canonurl on tumblr, man's got some banger advice smh)


	29. --interlude: servers--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one goes out to callmeafox, who joked that we didn't have enough callahan, and i should ruin him.
> 
> so i did.

Callahan had created the server. 

Dream owned it, Dream hired him, Dream gave him power, but in the end, after receiving Admin roles, Callahan was the one directly responsible for everything. Every square inch of dirt was placed there by Callahan, every line of code was written by him.

Human bodies were never made for that kind of stress.

To an Admin, the world is created from code, the atoms of the world moving, shifting, molding themselves to match the mind of a god.

To a human, even one granted with power, the world is immoble, unshifting. 

To a human, your soul must be tied to the server, to the code.

Callahan did more than create the server.

He was the server.

At first, it was simple, not too noticeable, not too concerning. He could feel the change of the weather, could feel the pull of the tides, could sense the errored code rippling beneath the surface.

The first week on the server, he pulled Dream aside, and looked him in the eyes, and told him they needed to fix the code.

Dream hesitated, glancing down at the others, where Alyssa braided Sapnap’s hair. “That would… that would require clearing everyone out…”

Callahan hesitated. He knew why Dream was concerned. None of the people here were from anything nice. Either homeless, or wanderers, or forgotten by society. If they had to leave, there would be no guarantee they would be able to find enough to eat, find a bed to sleep in.

“Just… we’ll wait. A week, or maybe a month. Let them stay a little longer, then we’ll clear them out, fix it, and they’ll come back.”

Four months later, others started joining, and Callahan still hadn’t touched the coding.

The day after Tommy appeared, three others vanished.

Desiree, Marcelo and Erin.

One day they were there, and the next, they weren’t.

He wasn’t sure what happened, but he didn’t really care, Desiree and Mercelo were probably making out in some corner somewhere, and Erin was a sneaky kid with a habit of disappearing for days at a time.

A week later, he asked Sam where Erin was and received a blank stare in return.

‘Dream’s little sister?’ He signed. ‘Brown hair, green eyes? Red hoodie?’

Sam scowled. “I’m not… I’m not sure who you’re talking about…?”

He checked the code that afternoon. There was no sign of Nightmare, or L1g3r0 , or Mamacita23. It was either a glitch, or it was an intentional hack.

That was the same month Shitass appeared.

Callahan didn’t know what to do with him. He was a Dreamon, first of all, something that wasn’t even supposed to exist anymore. He was also way too smart. He asked Callahan about the code that same night, asked what was going on. Callahan told him what he knew: nothing.

The next day, Shitass was gone.

Callahan was scared, scared something was going to happen, but nothing did.

Until it did.

Dream started changing. Little things at first, little changes that meant nothing to anyone who didn’t know him.

He started a war with a drug dealer and some kids over a little chunk of land.

He removed the portal, removed their memories. Callahan remembered, because he had to. He was the server, and the server couldn’t forget.

The server had been running for a year now, and the code hadn’t gotten fixed.

During the elections, the new code appeared, and Callahan was lost for words. How do you even fix that?

He asked- no, begged Dream for help, but the Admin refused.

“It’ll be okay, I can deal with it.”

The code was part of Callahan, and he was part of it.

The land was nothing more than code.

When Wilbur pressed the button, tore the earth apart, it ripped into Callahan.

He couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t do anything, other people had their own concerns at the time.

When he got home, he pulled off his blood-soaked shirt to examine his side. Sure enough, a long gash was torn down his chest, to his hip. He patched it up, threw out the now ruined shirt, and isolated himself until he could breathe without his lungs rattling like maracas in his chest.

Things got worse after that.

A kid named Ranboo hacked his way one, and he was powerless to stop him.

Callahan was powerless.

Bad found the egg, and his stomach filled with blood.

Dream blew up Logstedshire, and his neck gashed open.

Techno blew up New L’Manburg and he found himself in bed, unable to stand.

With every explosion, with every destructive act, he felt himself fall apart. He felt himself die. And that’s when he realised he had no power here, anymore.

He was the server, but the server was dying.

So he had to get someone else, someone who wasn’t already tied to the code. He had to get outside help. He knew who, almost immediately.

When he was younger, he’d been kept in a facility with a boy, named Mega, who knew more about code than anyone else he’d ever met. Other than that, it was just a question of who knew more.

**gamerboy80 has made the achievement The Beginning?**

His vision flickered, his head spun.

This wasn’t good.

As the server dies, the gods die. As the earth dies, the creator dies. As the world dies, the watcher dies.

And as the end comes, Callahan lets himself go.

**Server: Sorry**

**Server: I really thought that would work**

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> isn't callahan cool? so cool and nifty and neat :) 
> 
> anyway, i have been thinking about foolish gamers' shift dance irl.


	30. angels fall and hope dies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dudes. guys. amigos. homies. i spent so long on this one. 
> 
> shitass character arc time.

Purpled was a good judge in character, in his opinion.

He knew from years of hanging out with Punz that sometimes, liars and cheats and traitors could be the most moral, and the saintly beings with the kind eyes and gentle hands could be the cruelest.

He knew when someone meant harm, and when they meant business, and when they meant to help him, and that’s all he’d ever needed.

So why couldn’t he read 80?

He trusted him, somehow, in an unfailing way that made him nervous, like he remembered him from somewhere, like he knew more about him than it made any sense to.

_Bed Destroyed_

_He froze. He was the last person standing, other than blue. Blue still had a bed, too, with endstone prot._

_He couldn’t feel his hands._

_He heard footsteps behind him, running, sprinting, and he wheeled, catching glimpse of an axe, and two mismatched eyes, and then he_

tripped on a vine, stumbling forward.

80 grabbed his elbow, keeping him from falling, dimples giving away the grin he was hiding.

“Shut up,” Purpled muttered, feeling a blush spread up his cheeks. “I’m fine.”

They were an hour or so away from L’Manchunk Error, an hour or so from the prison. Dream walked in the middle, escorted by Ant and Drista, who each held an elbow, keeping him from running.

It was quiet, painfully so, other than the quiet mutterings of Ponk and Sapnap, who walked in the back, talking between themselves.

Purpled felt 80’s hand leave his arm, and he sighed. It was odd, how nice the slight pressure felt to the teen, like a safety blanket. As if reading his mind, 80’s arm snaked over his shoulders, a casual gesture, comfortable, like he’d done it a million times before.

The boy hesitated, before slowly leaning into the man, resting his head on his shoulder. He was warm, and smelled like sweat and blood, but it felt safe.

It felt like home.

“You okay?”

He shrugged, not looking at 80. “I’m alright. I’ve been worse.”

“That’s barely a qualifier.”

“Yeah,” He hummed, quietly. “I’m fine.”

There was a silence, before 80’s grip tightened, pulling Purpled in, wrapping him closer. The boy hummed, closing his eyes slightly.

Up ahead, Dream started to hum, a listless tune, eerie and dark, and Purpled frowned. 

“Stop that,” Sapnap spat. “Shut up.”

He didn’t, the tune speeding up, getting louder. Everyone was silent now, watching him. No one tried to stop him, no one knew what to do.

And then he was moving, wrenching his arms away, darting forward, and grabbing Purpled by the collar, yanking him away from 80, wrapping his arms around his throat in a choke hold, and dragging him back.

“Move and the boy dies.” He hissed, and Purpled tensed.

80’s eyes darted from Purpled to Dream to Sapnap to The Captain, but no one tried to step in.

Techno’s hands drifted to the sword Phil had given him, his eyes narrowing at the Admin. “Do you really want to play this game, Dream?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Phil’s wings twitched, one moving out in front of Ranboo, as if to protect him. Techno and Boffy both shifted to move in front of Tommy, if only a little bit. Deo stepped back, eyes narrowing at Dream carefully. Ponk and Sapnap both tensed up, Ponk’s hands grabbing at the taller’s sleeve.

No one did anything.

No one tried to stop the Admin.

No one tried to help Purpled.

He wasn’t surprised.

He wasn’t Tommy, they had no real reason to try to help him.

“Dream-” Puffy began, but she was cut off by a scoff.

“Oh, now you try to act warm and fatherly?”

She frowned, her lips pressing together. “Dream, don’t do this.”

“It’s this or prison, and I am not planning on going to prison.”

Purpled tried to calm his breathing, to get Dream to let his guard down, but the man gave a warning squeeze, and the boy gasped sharply.

“Let him go.” 80’s voice was dangerously calm, ice cold.

“No,” Dream’s smile was clear in his voice, mocking. “No, I don’t think I will.”

The larger man raised an eyebrow, a challenge, before nodding. Purpled’s heart sank. Of course he wasn’t going to try to help. Of course he wasn’t going to save him. He felt his eyes slip shut, a final whispered goodbye to the world on his lips. He had three lives, but he’d be surprised if Dream let him respawn after this one.

This was it.

Suddenly, Dream tensed, and the boy’s eyes flew open.

80 held an all-too familiar skull in one hand and was pointing it at Dream, his eyes glowing with a cold rage Purpled had never seen before.

“Let. Him. Go.”

Dream laughed, but it was sharp, nervous. “Oh please, you don’t even know how to build a wither. They don’t have them in Bedwars, you aren’t fooling anyone.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t know how to make one,” 80 hissed. “Four soul sands. Three skulls.”

Dream froze, thinking. “Ok, and, if you do, then what? Your precious baby brother’s dead too, you know.”

“No, I wouldn’t let that happen. I have his back. We all do. We can hold our own. You want to try your luck with twenty two pissed off people and a wither, or do you want to let him go?”

There was a silence, and then Dream let out a sigh. “You’re bluffing, 80.”

“Am I?” 80 took a step forward, eyes flashing. “Are you sure?”

“Oh come on,” Dream chuckled, sharply. “I’m not falling for this.”

There was a silence, before 80 nodded, lowering his arm. “Alright.”

And then he was moving, whipping around, hands flying to craft a wither, and Dream barely had time to tense before a far too familiar shriek filled the air.

A hand wrapped around Purpled’s wrist, pulling him to the side. Ant.

The cat shielded him with his body, shoving him to the ground as a volley of fireballs flew over his head.

“What the fuck,” Purpled choked, watching his brother smile as his creaton tore apart the land. “What is he doing?”

“Causing problems.” Ant muttered, his whiskers twitching in bitter annoyance. 

80’s eyes met his, just for a moment, and he found himself grinning, for some reason. There was something familiar about this, the feeling of the dirt beneath him, the smell of smoke and sweat, the taste of blood.

The sight of 80’s smile, the fire flickering in his eyes.

He smiled back, and things were okay.

Suddenly, Dream laughed, even as a wither skull exploded at his feet. His mask was gone, his eyes glittered with a bitter poisonous gleam as they focused on a figure standing among the trees, a smile growing across his face.

Purpled didn’t recognize the being, but not in the way he didn’t recognize 80 or the not-people, but in a new way.

The same way you don’t recognize a drawing of someone you know, where there’s a nagging feeling that you should know who this is, but you don’t.

They were tall, with long robes in mint green and a pearly white that seemed to shimmer as they moved, their head was an orb that floated above their shoulders, a simple ‘XD’ drawn on it. They watched Dream dodge another blast, the orb of their head tilting listlessly to the side, like a watermelon floating in a tub of water.

Purpled felt something in his gut twist and he gagged, curling in on himself.

“Who…”

“Exde,” Dream said, smiling at the being. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

There was silence, except for the wither’s shrieking.

**What the hell have you done?**

The being hadn’t spoken, not out loud, but it’s voice rang through Purpled’s head, like a trumpet, a herald of terrible things.

“Oh, come on,” Dream’s voice was casual. “I had nothing to do with this.”

**The Server has died, Clayton.**

Dream let out a sigh. “He shouldn’t have tied himself to the code.”

**That was your idea.**

There was another silence, as Dream parried another skull attack. No one else had moved, just staring at Exde.

“That’s true, I guess- are you going to help me?”

**I am not here for you.**

Shitass stood, slowly, eyes fixed on the being.

“Do̴͙̔͑͛́́̃̇͒͗͆͝ ̶̤̤̺̹̟̱͂̾̓̉̒̋̉̆͆̃̌̚̕͠n̵̮̤͕̽̑͑̒̏͑͝o̴̧͓̲͕͓̪̖̹̟̬̱̹̼̺͐̔͐̆̅̈́̇̓̀̉͘t̴̘̳̹̥̠̳͎̉͐̌̏͛̋̈́͝.̸͍͉͎͍̺͔͆̑̑͂̑́̋͋͠͝”

The being stared back.

**And here I thought you didn’t care for humans.**

There was a high pitched ringing, and Shitass blurred a bit, becoming fuzzy at the edges, and suddenly, he stood before Exde, and the energy in the clearing became electric.

Purpled felt the hair at the base of his neck stand on end.

**Come on, now. You shouldn’t even be here. Exile is forever, you know.**

The not-person didn’t bat an eye, staring it down.

“Shitass?” Drista whispered.

**Shetez. Your punishment for crossing the gods was final. You were cast from Prime, and left among the humans to rot. You were not meant to find… companionship. If not even the termination can deter you, I must. To fight alongside these mortals is a mistake.**

“Ä̶̤͓̬̗̥͍͎̯̘́̒̆͘͝ͅ ̶̱̤͔̍m̵̛̭̬̹̣͚̻͕͉̈́̑̍i̶̫̦͍͚̮̥̣̜̖̘̩̤͒͌̈̀̿̀̇̚͝ş̶͖̙̙̩͓̗͖̩͓͗̈́̂̂̅̿͘̕͜͝t̶͔̝̜̐ă̶̛̮̝͎̏̔̓̓̓͛̾̈́͌́͘͝͠k̸̛̰̝̭̬̭̳̙̻͔̭̝̺̟͐̓̑̎̌͐̄̈͊͂͘͜͝͝e̸͇͈̓̀̈́͘ ̶̡̱͎̻̯̠̖̰͛͂̇͗̿̔̍̅͐̐̕̕͠ͅI̸̢̢͚͈̯̘̻͖̣̪̻̍͆̀͠ ̷̡̨̢̢̖͇̯̲͕̰̭̟̠̩̌͆w̶̻̥̣̮̪̹͍͍̆̑͌i̶̥͚͔͚̖͊͘͝l̸̡̫̤̭̖̝͚̯̹͓̖̼̒̅͊̅̐l̶͔̘̇͌̒̃̊̍̾͐̐̚ ̵̢̢̧̪̞̯̺͚̲̦̬̗̜̓̈͘n̸̛͓̺͍̬̲̖͒̐̈̀̃́̈́̄͛͗̕͝o̷̧̪͉̦̦̟̙̳̮̭̪͂̑̍͐̈́̈͝ͅt̷̢̨̤͔͍̤͇̰̰̻͚̟̮̞͚͑̆͒ ̷͙̪̙̬̤͉̩͈̯̤͑͑̂̎̊̃͝͠͠ͅŗ̶̡̛̞̈́̔͜ë̵̻̝͍̮̟̞͖͙̦̠̞̪͈́ͅg̶̡̺̜̲̠͐̒̄̈́͆̿̓̂͌͝͠͠r̵̡̥̝̹̤̯͆̄̋͛̒̅̊͊̈͆͝͝e̴̫͉̟͈̜̲̭̿̈́̾t̷͈̄.̸̘͙̫̥̽͊͛̐̕”

Suddenly, the wither spat a skull at them and Shitass- no, Shetez- scowled, raising a hand, and the projectile stopped in midair.

Everyone froze, his old friends staring in confusion, in shock.

Suddenly, the wither shrieked, it’s form crumpling like a paper ball, into nothingness, until it was gone.

Shetez turned back to Exde, void-like eyes flashing in rage.

“I̴̢̧̨̝̭̒̉̚ ̷̥͈̙̯̥̹̰́̃̉̽̿̋̍̈̚͠͝͠͝͝d̸̖̘̠̎̔͌ơ̴̲͍̦͚͓̬̓͊͂̒̆̿̏̃̄̔n̶̩̽́̾̉̓̈́'̵̧̮̖͖̝̦̮̝̪̂̔t̸̫̘̺̫̪̘̽͗̈̓̄͂̉̐̎͌͌ ̷̨͖͔͔͖̲̰̭̆̋͘͝ͅw̶̻̠͓͂͜å̶̛̛̭̠̣͔̜͓̺͖͎̟̾̇͛̈̏͗́͝͝n̴̘̝͖̙̖̣̬͎̭̙̓̓̚t̶̨̛͔̠̻̤͙̀̒̅̍̒͛̕̚ ̴̧̹̪̩͇̯͓̟̺͉͚̬̹̙̉̿̔̒͗͊́̔̌̑͗͌̚̕ţ̸̛̳̠͍͓͋̔͆̽̔̊̍͆̆̔̅̂̃͜͝o̴̫̭͕̥͚̠͊̓̒̎̌̀̄̿͛̓̓̉̚͜ ̷̞͇̹̣̀̉̓ḑ̸̯͙͉̼̠̋̌̍́̒̋̃̈́̕ö̸̜̩ ̷̛̖͓́̓̈́͛̑̒͗͊̇͐̽́t̵̺̮̽͂̐͑͐̋̓h̷̢̙̼̩̆͊̓̚ị̸̞͈̜̮͛̇̍̕s̴͚̉̀̉͐̏̑͛͒͘͝.̶̹̗̺͎̳̱͍̝̱̯͍̗͕͐͗̉̇̓͛͋͠ͅͅ”

**Neither do I. But if you insist on involving yourself…**

There was a popping sound, and then Shetez held a netherite sword, aimed at the being’s head.

Exde tilted it’s head, before it too held a sword, and then they were fighting.

Purpled had seen impressive fights before.

He had seen Technoblade fight, and he had seen Dream fight, and he faintly thought he had seen 80 fight, somehow, but he had never seen this.

Every move was perfect, every motion measured and neat. They were flawless beings, and they fought flawlessly. Even Dream stilled, watching with wide eyes.

Their swords flashed like lightning, their blocks, parries, dodges so smooth it looked like a dance more than anything.

Purpled felt 80 at his back, and he grabbed at his hand.

There was nothing they could do but draw back and watch with wide eyes.

And then Shetez wrapped his hand around Exde’s throat and they were gone.

“Holy shit-” Sapnap cried, eyes fixed on the sky. Everyone followed his gaze.

The beings tumbled through the air, hundreds of blocks above the ground, still grappling for control, Exde’s wings pumping to keep them aloft, but Shetez clung to it with a fierceness Purpled could see, even from here.

80 squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back, a futile attempt at comfort.

And then Exde went limp, and they free fell, the two bodies together, plummeting to the Earth.

And then they hit.

Purpled stared at them, at the way Exde's wings spread, the golden blood that stained its robes from the sword lodged firmly in its face.

Shetez had killed it.

He wasn't moving. His blue shirt was coated in ichor, his red basketball shorts torn and bloody. His face wasn't blurry anymore, somehow, sharp features and smooth skin.

No one spoke for a moment, before he was gone. Respawned.

Purpled sighed in relief.

Exde still laid on the ground, broken and dead, no respawn in sight.

Good.

Suddenly, Girl Dream cursed, and everyone turned to her.

Dream was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all thought the wither was going to be more important? lol, no.
> 
> also i'll include an explanation next chapter.


	31. angels fall and hope dies -- lore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my gender is making up research articles <3

_ An Excerpt from “A Tale of Gods: The Creation of Admins and Mobs” By Sonia K Studebacher: _

The Gods were always among us. At the beginning of time, they walked our lands as humans, watching us, observing us.

We had religions, of our own. Things we made up, in an attempt to comprehend the ways of the universe. They laughed, and let us run around, chasing our tails, as we tried to describe how God made the world.

There were originally five main Gods who rule from Prime: Domrao, Exde, Ianite, Herobrine and Shetez.

Domrao, the Watcher, who rules the afterlife, a place called the Down Side Up.

Exde, the Guardian, who is responsible for all the End Portals, responsible for the actions of the other Gods.

Ianite, the Just, the keeper of justice and the ocean, known to be a temperamental and kind being.

Herobrine, the Builder, who took pride in disrupting humans, causing fear and confusion in their ranks.

He was the one who created Admins, beings of absolute power, as well as the Servers, the pockets of timespace disconnected.

This is thought to be the reason he was banished to the Code, an undercurrent of reality that controls all people and things.

People mistake him for a glitch, a ghost, and an admin, few recognizing him as the shadow of a God, as a being of Power.

He rarely appears, only ever speaking to one or two people at a time, and even then, it’s usually a hostile interaction.

The last God, Shetez, faced the same fate, but for very different reasons. He had been too kind to humans, letting them show him their creations, watching them grow with pride.

Exde was unhappy about this, as it felt he should act above the humans. It removed Shetez’ power, banishing him to wander servers forever, unable to speak to humans or even be perceived by them. Ironically, it is said that the only Gods who never took on human companions were the ones banished to the Code.

Shetez and Herobrine still wander these lands, waiting for release, waiting for salvation.

Or vengeance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, awooga, lore. 
> 
> i wrote this in history class. i have no idea how i'm failing :pensive:


	32. what's out there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is technically an intermission chapter, but i'm not putting it there because fuck you.
> 
> anyway, uh. shout out to callmeafox for suggesting this, sort of.

Eret was not good at people.

She wasn’t  _ bad  _ at people, especially compared to Fundy, or Jack, who seemed determined to piss people off. She was at least good at putting on a mask, pretending she knew what to do, which helped people trust her, but it wasn’t always enough.

People wanted someone to listen to their problems, someone willing to sympathize, but she was impatient, and vain, and would rather talk about herself. It was definitely one of her worst features, she’ll admit that.

She wasn’t a people person, but as Fundy sobbed into her shoulder, she did her best.

“She’ll be fine,” She muttered, running a hand over his fur, rocking him back and forth like a baby. “She’s going to be okay.”

“She’s gone,” Fundy choked out. “She’s gone.”

Eret remembered when she offered to adopt Fundy, back when Wilbur first died, when she was so desperate for companionship, so desperate to help this kid that she practically begged Phil to let her keep him safe.

She wondered where that bond went.

“Fundy, it’s going to be okay, I promise.”

The fox sniffed, pulling back to stare at her. “R-really?”

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t.

Niki was always the comforting one, always the one who knew what to do. She was the calming presence in a world of confusion, and watching her vanish… it left a bitter taste in Eret’s mouth, the idea of the closest thing to a sister she had disappearing.

It’d been odd, like watching a piece of bread in water.

She got fuzzy at the edges, blurry almost, and then she was gone.

It was terrifying.

Eret couldn’t say that, though. Couldn’t admit she didn’t know what to do.

So she didn’t.

It took a while for Fundy to calm down, and then they just sat together, huddled together on the floor of Eret’s room, neither looking at each other.

It was quiet, an eerie quiet that made the King’s ears ring, that made every breath either man took echo throughout the room.

Eret didn’t like it.

God, that sounded dumb. His sister had just vanished in front of him, of course he didn’t like it.

“What happened, do you think?”

Eret almost jumped at the sound of Fundy’s voice, but managed to keep himself together, just shrugging helplessly.

“I… I’m not sure. Maybe… a glitch?”

Fundy jolted at that, giving him a weird look at that. “Like… a server glitch?”

“It’s just a theory,” The taller man said, shifting uncomfortably. “I’m not saying-”

“No… no, that makes sense…”

He blinked. “It does?”

The fox scowled, curling in on itself slightly, scowling at the ground. “Yeah. There’s a possibility, if a server is crashing, that a person could be kicked, right?”

Eret nodded, but frowned. “Yeah, but I never understood that… Where would they be kicked  _ to _ ?”

“I-” Fundy froze. “Wait… wait, that’s a good question. This server… there’s no way there’s anything else, but… how would they know what happens when a server crashed, or that people get kicked.”

There was a silence, before Eret finally said what was on both of their minds.

“So what else is there?”

  
  


What was out there was a bustling city, as Niki found. 

It was loud, in a way she hadn’t expected, the deafening roar almost knocking her off her feet, but she stood there, trying to take everything in.

She stood in front of a huge portal, made of gold and emerald, with a pale mint light shimmering in it. The portal stood in a huge park, with dozens of others scattered around, people wandering from one to the other. Huge buildings, taller than anything she’d ever seen, stood around the park, shining in the noon sunlight.

It was overwhelming, to say the least.

How did she get here?

She couldn’t remember walking through a portal, or anything like that, she just remembered… fading?

Was that what had happened?

Did she faint?

Was this a dream?

“Niki!”

The voice was unfamiliar, but she spun, looking around for someone she knew she wouldn’t recognize.

_ There. _ A tall, purple-haired woman with short black horns was running towards her, a wide smile on her face.

“Holy fucking shit, where have you been? You and Schlatt just fucking dissapeared, I haven’t heard from you in ages, and don’t get me started on Connor, that motherfucker sent me a message a couple weeks back t’ tell me he was movin’. What the fuck, right? I… Niki?”

Niki had been staring at her blankly the whole time, trying to absorb this new information. Schlatt? How was he involved? And Connor? The man with the blue hoodie who lived in Tommy’s old house?

“Niki?” The woman asked, blue eyes narrowing in concern. “You alright?”

“I’m sorry,” Niki finally said, “Do I… know you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also shout out to my english teacher for using they/they pronouns for me. not they/them. they/they. it's they all the way down.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr @jackstanifold for bad content <3


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